‘Pengabdi Setan 2’ sets opening day record for 2022 in Indonesia

The second movie in Indonesian director Joko Anwar’s Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slave) series, Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion, has set the opening day record for 2022 in Indonesia.

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According to Indonesian box office data analyst Twitter account Bicara Box Office, Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion drew 701,891 moviegoers on its opening day on August 4, which also makes it the second biggest opening day weekend ever in Indonesia just behind 2019 romance film Dilan 1991. Dilan 1991 registered an opening day attendance of 800,025.

Masuk papan atas liga elit pic.twitter.com/UOTK8SvFKs

— Bicara Box Office (@bicaraboxoffice) August 5, 2022

Bicara Box Office also gave Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion a fighting chance to surpass KKN Desa Penari’s total attendance, having drawn 9,233,847 viewers earlier this year when it was released in April. As of August 8, cinemas across Indonesia have recorded over three and a half million tickets sold for screenings of Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion.

The director himself has been busy retweeting reactions from terrified and elated moviegoers, taking time to reminisce about the success of his first Pengabdi Setan film. “In 2017, Pengabdi Setan was watched by 97,000 people on opening day. Now, we have more than 700,000. We can only give endless thanks for all of the support and prayers we’ve received. There’s still a long road to go. I hope Pengabdi Setan 2 will entertain Indonesia for a long time yet,” he wrote in a tweet.

Pengabdi Setan 2017 dulu hari pertama 97 ribu. Sekarang 700 ribu lebih. Kami hanya bisa mengucapkan terima kasih tak terhingga kepada teman-teman untuk doa dan supportnya. Jalan masih panjang. Mudah-mudahan Pengabdi Setan 2 bisa menghibur Indonesia dalam waktu yang lama. Amin. pic.twitter.com/HcKiS1A71e

— Joko Anwar (@jokoanwar) August 5, 2022

Anwar has said that he has plans for another sequel if Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion, is a success, though he qualified that success does not mean financial success. The director said that the possibility of a sequel rests on audiences loving the characters enough to want to know what comes next, adding, “In the script, there are a few things I’ve noted that will be developed in a sequel.”

Social media users have largely praised the film since its release, noting the expanded scope with more detailed scenes, as well as better executed scares.

A loose remake-prequel of the similarly titled 1980 Indonesian horror film by Sisworo Gautama Putra, Pengabdi Setan sequel Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion sees the return of Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, Egi Fedly and Ayu Laksmi from the original film. New additions to the cast include Muzakki Ramdhan, Fatih Unru, Ratu Felisha, Jourdy Pranata, Kiki Narendra, Nafiza Fatia Rani and Iqbal Sulaiman.

Anwar’s first instalment of Satan’s Slave, which was released in 2017, was both a critical and box office success. More than 4.2million viewers watched the film en route to a box office total of $10.5million – making it the highest-grossing domestic Indonesian film of 2017.

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