Copyright Variety
Netflix‘s Indonesian horror film “The Elixir” has surged to the top of the streamer’s worldwide rankings for non-English language titles, drawing more than 11 million viewers in the first several days following its Oct. 23 debut. During the Oct. 20-26 tracking period, director Kimo Stamboel’s zombie thriller secured first place in five markets and appeared among the top 10 most-watched films in 75 territories worldwide, spanning Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Germany, France, South Africa, Turkey, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and Brazil. The horror film centers on a family business dealing in jamu, Indonesia‘s traditional herbal remedies, in a village outside Yogyakarta. When the family patriarch’s quest for immortality goes catastrophically wrong, it unleashes both domestic turmoil and a deadly outbreak. Critics and audiences have responded positively to the film’s culturally specific interpretation of zombie horror, which incorporates uniquely Indonesian elements and creatures modeled after the country’s native pitcher plant. “I wanted to create a zombie film that truly feels Indonesian — not just through its setting or language, but through its very core story. From Jamu and Javanese villages to family dynamics. Seeing the film embraced by audiences across countries proves that local stories can have a global resonance,” said Stamboel, who wrote the screenplay with Agasyah Karim and Khalid Kashogi. The cast features Mikha Tambayong, Eva Celia, Donny Damara, Dimas Anggara, Marthino Lio, and Kiki Narendra. Edwin Nazir produced for Mowin Pictures. “I never expected a story so close to our daily lives — about family, ambition, and loss — to resonate so strongly both at home and abroad. ‘The Elixir’ may feature zombies, but at its heart, it’s about family and humanity. Personally, it’s been such a meaningful experience to bring a story rooted in Indonesian culture to global audiences and see how warmly they’ve responded,” said Celia, who plays Karina.
