The entertainment industry in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region has entered a phase of market maturity. At the APOS 2026 conference held in Bali, top executives shifted their operational focus away from chaotic scaling toward constructing sustainable ecosystems, monetizing enduring intellectual property (IP), and driving deep audience engagement.
Independent entertainment company A24 and Google have announced a strategic partnership dedicated to artificial intelligence research. Under the terms of the agreement, the studio will collaborate with Google’s AI division, DeepMind, to build next-generation technological tools tailored for filmmakers.
The fifth installment of the Disney and Pixar franchise, Toy Story 5, has launched in theaters worldwide, generating a franchise-record $312 million during its opening weekend. Of that total, $160 million came from the domestic US market, while international territories contributed $152 million.
Exactly one year has passed since the release of the animated hit K-Pop: Demon Hunters by Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation. Over these 52 weeks, the feature has remained a fixture in the streamer’s Top 10, becoming the most-viewed original film in the platform’s history.
On the sidelines of the Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), jury members of the Golden Goblet Award for Animation discussed how localized storytelling has become the primary driver of a global market now valued at $460 billion.
For a long time, the transition to IP technologies within the broadcasting industry focused heavily on infrastructure upgrades and cable replacement.
Executives from major media giants—Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, and Warner Bros. Discovery—converged on a unified consensus at the APOS 2026 conference: Asian content and localized storytelling have ceased to be merely regional products. Today, they stand as the most valuable global assets within the streaming industry.
The newly launched 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States, has already made history as the largest tournament to date, featuring 48 participating nations, 16 host cities, and 104 matches.
The screen economy of the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will reach $179 billion by the end of 2026 and is projected to expand to $200 billion by 2031. However, behind these figures lies more than mere linear growth; it signals a massive structural overhaul of the entire industry.
As Disney prepares to rewrite box office records with the upcoming premiere of Pixar’s Toy Story 5, the media giant has another reason to celebrate. The iconic fashion franchise, owned by its subsidiary 20th Century Studios, has crossed the $1 billion milestone in cumulative global box office receipts.
