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South Korea’s Barunson E&a has forged a new partnership with Indonesian studio Imajinari, expanding its international business beyond co-production and sales and into remake rights licensing.

Under the deal, Barunson E&a will handle international remake rights for three of Imajinari’s breakout titles: hit horror-comedy Agak Laen; its upcoming sequel; and dark comedy Tinggal Meninggal.

Founded in 2021 by comedian-director Ernest Prakasa and his manager Dipa Andika as part of Hahaha Corp — a talent agency representing Indonesia’s top comedic voices — Imajinari has quickly established itself as a frontrunner among the new generation of production companies in the country.

Barunson E&a, the Korean company behind Bong Joon Ho’s Oscar winner “Parasite,” is expanding its global footprint through a new partnership with buzzy Indonesian production banner Imajinari.

The deal positions Barunson to handle international remake rights for three of Imajinari’s standout titles: horror-comedy sensation “Agak Laen,” its upcoming sequel, and dark comedy “Tinggal Meninggal.”

The strategic move signals Barunson’s evolution beyond traditional co-production and international sales as it steps into remake rights licensing, with a focused eye on Southeast Asia’s booming film market.

Imajinari, founded in 2021 by comedian-director Ernest Prakasa and manager Dipa Andika under the Hahaha Corp talent umbrella, has rapidly established itself as one of Indonesia’s most exciting new-generation studios. The company made waves with its 2022 debut “Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap,” which pulled in 2.8 million admissions to become Indonesia’s fourth highest-grossing local film that year.

The studio’s 2024 hit “Agak Laen” — adapted from a...

Indonesian film production company Imajinari is expanding its footprint with an ambitious slate of upcoming projects following the breakout success of its comedy hit “Agak Laen,” which accumulated 9.1 million cinema viewers to become the bestselling Indonesian comedy of all time.

Founded in 2021 by Ernest Prakasa and Dipa Andika, Imajinari has set “Tinggal Meninggal,” a dark comedy in post-production. The film, directed by Kristo Immanuel, will be followed by “Agak Laen 2,” the sequel to their record-breaking comedy, with Muhadkly Acho returning as writer and director.

“Our philosophy is we want to make original stories, and we want to make sure everything is ready,” Andika told Variety at Hong Kong FilMart. “We don’t want to push it if it’s not ready.”

Imajinari’s commitment to original storytelling in a market dominated by sequels, remakes and horror films has paid dividends with critical acclaim. Their 2023 black-and-white romantic comedy “Jatuh Cinta Seperti Di Film-Film...

Horror stays winning at the box office, not only here in the United States but also internationally as well. On that note, a brand new horror comedy titled Agak Laen is making headlines this week, becoming the second biggest Indonesian box office hit Of All Time!

The film was released into Indonesian theaters on February 1, 2024.

Deadline reports, “With 7.35 million admissions at the box office, horror-comedy film Agak Laen has become the second biggest Indonesian box office hit of all time.”

And get this. Agak Laen is second only to a 2022 movie titled Kkn di Desa Penari, which was also a horror movie! It’s the highest grossing film in Indonesian box office history.

In Agak Laen, “An old man dies in a failing haunted house ride. The operators bury his body on site, turning it into a popular attraction.”

Agak Laen‘s producer Ernest Prakasa tells Deadline, “It’s very...

With 7.35 million admissions at the box office, horror-comedy film Agak Laen has become the second biggest Indonesian box office hit of all time.

Released domestically on February 1, the film stars Bene Dion Rajagukguk, Oki Rengga, Indra Jegel, Boris Bokir and Tissa Biani Azzahra. It now only trails 2022’s Kkn di Desai Penari, another horror title, which secured more than 10 million admissions.

Four of the stars are part of a podcast group (also named Agak Laen), which has gained a large following since launching in 2022. The Agak Laen film has also released in Malaysia and Brunei.

Box office gross is not publicly available in Indonesia, with admissions numbers serving as the main data in tracking the performance of films.

Horror movies usually perform well at the Indonesian box office, but Agak Laen‘s producer Ernest Prakasa said that the formula for the film was a strong dose of comedy, bolstered by...