Good times are long past for the Djakarta Theater

Good times are long past for the Djakarta Theater

By Budiman Moerdijat

JAKARTA (JP): People say 21 -- as in the chain of movie
theaters Group 21 -- when they talk about going to the movies
today.

The Djakarta Theater, in a prime location on bustling Jl.
Thamrin, is the one stubborn holdout to the numerical mass.

It was a pioneer of modern movie houses in the country when it
raised its legendary maroon curtain on June 20, 1970.

The theater spurred the development of other quality movie
theaters and marked an end to the dark cultural days of the
1960s, when Western entertainment had taken a beating.

The Indonesian Communist Party had spearheaded a campaign
against foreign movies, establishing a group in 1964 aimed at
destroying American movie distribution in Indonesia. The party is
now outlawed.

Johan Tjasmadi, chairman of the Association of Theater Owners
(GPBSI), said the idea to build a modern theater came from a
common understanding between the city's administration, GPBSI and
a young businessman.

Then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin was on a mission to turn the
capital into a metropolitan city. He wanted the city to have
international standard facilities, including first-class movie
theaters.

At the time, film importers and social organizations organized
gala premieres at the Bali Room of Hotel Indonesia.

These turned into social functions, sometimes including dinner
and a dance, Johan said.

GPBSI welcomed Ali Sadikin's idea for improving their
services.

"American movies were generally played two years after they
were released in the United States," Johan said.

Businessman Jan Darmadi was also interested in helping to
modernize the city by making a first-class theater.

"He wanted the theater to be the agent of development,
providing healthy entertainment for families," Johan said.

The construction of Djakarta Theater, considered a mega
project at the time, heralded the golden age of movie theaters in
the 1970s.

It was equipped with state of the art technology, including a
top quality projector, good sound system and air conditioners.

Djakarta Theater enjoyed its heyday into the early 1980s. Up
to 70 percent of its 1,170 seats were occupied every night,
Ichwan, the theater's film manager, told The Jakarta Post.

It was managed professionally and set the standard for other
movie theaters.

"The theater surpassed Kartika Chandra theater, its main
competitor at that time, and became one of the most prestigious
movie theaters in Jakarta," Johan added.

Developments in home entertainment signaled its decline and
Japan's mass production of video cassette recorders began to
flood the market in 1982.

This came in tandem with rampant videotape piracy in
Indonesia.

Audience numbers and profits started to tumble. Better quality
movie theaters sprung up.

In 1984, a cinema complex (cineplex) was introduced by tycoon
Sudwikatmono. These featured several screens in one location.

Beginning with the Kartika Chandra theater in 1986, the number
of cineplex facilities grew to about 26 locations, all bearing
the 21 logo, within six years. Planet Hollywood now stands on the
old site of Kartika Chandra theater.

Djakarta Theater also faced other threats in the late 1980s.

The 1989 launching of RCTI, the country's first private TV
station, showed the huge potential of TV stations.

New home entertainment technology, such as laser disc players,
also cut into ticket sales.

"Why go to a movie theater if people can conveniently watch
movies in their homes?" Ichwan said.

He admitted that it was difficult to cope with harsh
competition. The theater was renovated in 1992, but its seating
capacity was reduced to 960. Its ticket price of Rp 10,500 each
is slightly cheaper than the 21 chain.

A long-term employee of the theater said the screening of a
good film still brought in a packed house.

"We used to be a last resort for those who could not get
tickets at other theaters because our large seating capacity
guaranteed they would be able to see the movie," said the
employee who requested anonymity.

Djakarta Theater appears frozen in time, a cinematic white
elephant which lags behind the dynamic activities of other
members of the diversified Jan Darmadi Corporation Group.

"There were times when we only got our food allowance and
could not get our wages because the financial situation was so
bad," said an employee who claimed to have worked over 25 years.

Times are tough, and it is doubtful the Djakarta Theater will
ever relive its halycon days of 20 years ago. Some say it is just
a matter of time before the famed maroon curtain descends for the
final time.