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.