Demand for Feature Films on the Rise
Buyers at ATF 2025 reflect this trend
Feature films have never taken a back seat, despite the surge in popularity of series with the rise of streaming platforms, or the fall in the number of cinemas in general. Current statistics have proven the continued demand for feature films—even outperforming series at times.
ATF, with Ampere Analysis, recently took a look at feature film/movie titles on international and regional SVODs across APAC markets to track its progress.
International in APAC
Overall, the number of movies acquired has increased since 2020—there are 31% more film titles on international SVOD services (Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Netflix) than there were 5 years ago. However, it needs to be contextualized: the number of series in this period has also increased in that time period. It reflects the fact that the catalogue size of these services has got larger, according to Ampere Analysis.
Note: These services were used, as they are the only ones that are fully operational in APAC across the timeseries, allowing for an easier illustration.
On a genre level, Crime and Thriller movies represent the largest portion of the catalogue and continue to see healthy growth (43% since 2020). Romance (59% growth) and Comedy (34% growth) are the second and third largest genres respectively on these services.
There has been a pull back in the number of Documentary films. There were 2,979 titles on these platforms in Q2 2025, from a high of 3,979 in Q1 2021—representing a one-third drop. However, in recent quarters, the number of these titles has started to creep up again.
The growth in Horror is slightly above the general inflation (34%). It is still one of the smallest genres Ampere tracks for movies on these services, which could offer an under-exploited opportunity, especially given the popularity of Horror as a genre at the box office in recent years.
(Check out ATF’s Horror Pitch 2025)
Asia in APAC
With Asia’s unique landscape, it is always a challenge to aggregate local services across multiple countries. To simplify, a few SVODs were picked to track the growth or shrinkage of their catalogue, giving a general idea of how things are developing.
Note: Only 2022—2025 is tracked in this instance, due to certain services launching later than 2020
Encouraging numbers portray a hike in feature film acquisitions in Indonesia, India, Japan, New Zealand, and S Korea.
It should be noted that many of these local services may have had licensing agreements that have expired—such as Binge, which lost its titles from Warner Bros. Discovery when Max launched in Australia.
Buyers Mirror This Trend at ATF 2025
This inclination is reflected in the early-stage buyer recruitment program for ATF 2025, taking place on December 2—5. A glance into current confirmed buyers shows that Feature Films is one of the top distinct forms of entertainment they hope to acquire at ATF 2025.
Top Percentages— Areas of interest among ATF 2025 registered buyers to date
The data also shows that Series is a close second in what buyers intend to acquire at ATF 2025, while microdramas and miniseries illustrate a growing interest in what buyers may want.