KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — Since its release on Dec 11, the locally produced animated film Papa Zola The Movie, by Monsta in collaboration with Astro Shaw, has drawn more than four million viewers across Southeast Asia, emerging as one of the most successful animated films ever made in Malaysia.

In a statement, Monsta said the film, released simultaneously in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Indonesia, continues to perform strongly, holding the top spot at the local box office last weekend in its seventh week of release.

In Indonesia, the film opened robustly, drawing about 200,000 viewers in its first four days, ranking as the week’s top new release and the second-highest-grossing title overall.

As of January 27, the film, directed by Nizam Razak, had been added to the watchlists of more than 10,000 users on Indonesia’s TIX ID platform and holds a high user rating of 9.7.

“The achievement makes Papa Zola The Movie the most-watched Malaysian animated film to date, and the third most successful local film of all time after Mat Kilau and Blood Brothers,” read the statement.

To encourage family and children’s attendance, Malaysian cinema operators have also introduced several ticketing initiatives in selected cinemas.

“These initiatives come as several states, including Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Putrajaya, observe a long weekend this week, which is expected to drive higher cinema attendance,” it added.

Beyond the box office, the animated film has also made an impact online, with its theme song Batas Senja used in over 2.4 million TikTok videos, up from around 800,000 before screenings.

Following its South-east Asian success, Papa Zola The Movie is set for further international release in Vietnam and other markets this year. — Bernama