Low-class movie theaters cling to existence<\/p>\n
By Edith Hartanto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The movie posters jump out at passersby with
\nseductive images of tangled bodies and exposed flesh.<\/p>\n
Provocative film titles -- spiced with adjectives like wanton,
\nlust and insatiable -- also lure with promises of a steamy
\ncinematic experience.<\/p>\n
But what is up on the screen is usually tame stuff.<\/p>\n
Yuan, a 20-year-old student, said he was thoroughly
\ndisappointed by Indonesian and B-rated foreign movies with titles
\nsuch as Ranjang Birahi (Bed of Lust) and Affairs.<\/p>\n
\"The stories had no plots. One moment they started to build a
\nlogical path, then suddenly there was a picture of a half-naked
\nwomen doing obscene things. It made no sense at all,\" Yuan said.<\/p>\n
Ramli Husein admitted that he enjoyed watching Mandarin and
\nWestern movies in cheap theaters, such as the Majestic Theater in
\nSouth Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"For only Rp 2,000 (70 U.S. cents) you can pick your own seat
\nand watch an old Bruce Lee, Jet Lee or Jacky Chan movie,\" Ramli
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, those who cannot afford tickets costing Rp 7,000
\nto Rp 15,000 in the city's plush theaters can find cheaper but
\nless comfortable seats in one of the 59 middle to low-class movie
\ntheaters in the city.<\/p>\n
Effendy, a 25-year-old factory worker, said he liked to go to
\nthe movies with his girlfriend or friends.<\/p>\n
His only complaint: rats.<\/p>\n
\"They are everywhere in the theater. Once we screamed out loud
\nbecause the rat crawled on my leg as it tried to get to food on
\nmy lap,\" he said.<\/p>\n
It was a showstopper. \"The lights went on, and everybody
\nthought there was an accident.\"<\/p>\n
Djamilah, a junior researcher at the University of Indonesia,
\nsaid watching films in cheap theaters made for an interesting
\nsociological experience.<\/p>\n
\"Cheap theaters are mostly non air-conditioned, and it gets
\nvery hot inside, but you can just push open one of the windows
\nyourself,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Shows can be erratic. Power failures may stop the film midway,
\nor the management can cancel a screening due to low ticket sales
\nbut refuse to give refunds.<\/p>\n
Despite the nuisances, movie theaters serve important social
\nfunctions as stress release outlets for many low-income people,
\naccording to University of Indonesia sociologist Paulus Wirutomo.<\/p>\n
\"They can let go of their stress from everyday life and do
\nrecreational activities with their families and friends.\"<\/p>\n
Paulus acknowledges the threat to independent movie theaters
\nfrom the popularity of TV and the upmarket movie theater chain21,
\nthe biggest in the country, which has bought out small theaters
\nand turned them into associates. The 21 Group is owned by tycoon
\nSudwikatmono, who also owns and manages Subentra, the distributor
\nof imported films.<\/p>\n
Private TV stations, which show a lineup of Indian and
\nMandarin films daily, is affordable to all.<\/p>\n
Paulus said movie theaters may reach slowed growth and some
\ncould slip into bankruptcy as a \"logical consequence of the
\ngrowth of technology\".<\/p>\n
Patrons of cheap movie houses know the grim prospects.<\/p>\n
\"It's a pitiful condition and apparently many theaters can not
\nsurvive the fierce competition,\" Ramli said.<\/p>\n
\"The cheap theaters must be kept for little people,\" Effendy
\nsaid. \"We can not afford to go to the luxurious ones. TV is just
\nnot the same.\"<\/p>\n
Lots of losses<\/p>\n
Some independent theater owners are justifiably fearful of the
\nfuture.<\/p>\n
Suparman, manager of Lenteng Agung theater in South Jakarta.
\nsaid he relocated the theater in 1988 from North Jakarta due to
\nthe downturn in business.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there was no improvement.<\/p>\n
\"On average, only six to 10 people come to see the movie a
\nday,\" he said. Showings on the theater's two screens are
\nsometimes canceled because of poor turnout.<\/p>\n
A cut in the ticket price from Rp 2,500 to Rp 1,500 had not
\nhelped.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe we will have to give up the business after all,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But theater owner Wahid Affan refused to be downhearted. \"It's
\nbetter this way. What else can I do with this land?\"<\/p>\n
Suparman said revenues from ticket sales hardly covered the
\noperational fees, or wages of the nine employees, each of whom
\ngets paid Rp 125,000 a month.<\/p>\n
An office worker in Majestic Theater, Apon, glumly described
\nthe current state of affairs as a \"death sentence\".<\/p>\n
Electricity bills alone are Rp 3 million per month. \"And no
\none comes. It's very quiet here, even on the weekend. It is
\ndefinitely running at a loss.\"<\/p>\n
But another theater manager, Gunawan, said he was luckier than
\nhis financially strapped colleagues. \"My boss owns three cinemas:
\nViva 21, Wira and Tebet Theater, all in South Jakarta.\"<\/p>\n
Gunawan said Patar Yulianto, owner of the theaters, sold part
\nof the Viva shares to 21 Group in 1989.<\/p>\n
Income from renting out Viva 21 subsidizes operations of both
\nWira and Tebet theaters, he said.<\/p>\n
Out of the three, Wira draws the most visitors, with 800
\nseats.<\/p>\n
\"I think it's because our tickets are cheaper and, frankly, we
\nscreen many erotic movies that people like,\" Gunawan said.<\/p>\n
Both Gunawan and Apon urged the government to help the
\nindependent theaters survive.<\/p>\n
Robby, owner of Majestic Theater, said Subentra rules that
\nindependent theaters can only rent second or third run movies,
\ntwo years after they have played in the 21 cinemas.<\/p>\n
Apon said TV broadcasts of new movies was a problem.<\/p>\n
\"We are urging the government to make regulations for TV
\nstations not to play second-run movies that we are supposed to
\nscreen. We are dying because TV shows new films,\"<\/p>\n
Robby attributed the closure of several theaters -- including
\nDuta Theater, Krekot Theater, Pademangan Theater and Rivoli
\nTheater -- to difficulty in obtaining movies.<\/p>\n
\"They gave up because they could no longer get good movies,
\nthey had zero viewers and, bang, they were dead.\"<\/p>\n
Many owners are bewildered about how to change what appears to
\nbe a losing situation.<\/p>\n
\"I've been thinking of joining up with 21, but I don't know,\"
\nSuparman said. \"I think I will close down the business and start
\na new one.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/low-class-movie-theaters-cling-to-existence-1447893297",
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