AMC’s streaming service Shudder has acquired multiple territory rights for Joko Anwar’s hit horror sequel Pengabdi Setan (Satan’s Slaves) 2: Communion.
Deadline revealed that Shudder will exclusively stream the movie in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand starting this November 4. “I’m thrilled to have Shudder releasing Satan’s Slaves 2: Communion and presenting the movie to its perfect audience. This film is a direct sequel to the first one and will answer some questions left in the first movie while opening up new things to explore in the storyline,” Anwar told the publication.
The second movie in Indonesian director Joko Anwar’s Pengabdi Setan series, Pengabdi Setan 2: Communion, set the opening day record for 2022 in Indonesia. Drawing 701,891 moviegoers on its opening day on August 4, Pengabdi Setan 2‘s performance at the box office also makes it the second biggest opening day weekend ever in Indonesia just behind 2019 romance film Dilan 1991.
Anwar has said that he has plans for another sequel if 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.”
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 Pengabdi Setan, 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.