Old run-down cinemas stay open for sentimental reasons

Sally Piri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was raining outside as moviegoers chatted in the foyer of the Grand cinema in Senen, Central Jakarta, while waiting for the 9 p.m. show to start on a Sunday evening.

Some motorcycles were seen in the parking lot. Most of the moviegoers had apparently come by bus.

People who usually visit malls or posh cinemas of the Cinema 21 chain would not be keen to enter the cinema given the poor lighting, the dust and the appearance of the moviegoers. Furthermore, Senen is notorious for its criminal elements.

Some people were seen busy playing games in the dirty arcade near the cinema foyer.

Grand is one of the few old cinemas that still exists despite the tough competitions from the Cinema 21 chain and the arrival of new technology such as the video compact disc (VCD) and digital video disc (DVD) players that enable people to watch films at home.

The cinema, which was built in the 1950s, used to be a popular hangout for people of all walks of life in Jakarta, the rich and the poor, but is now only frequented by people with little to spend.

The cinema is located on the first floor of a two-story building which also houses the Mulia Agung cinema on the second floor. Neither cinema is air-conditioned. Grand, which has two screens, has 300 seats.

According to Grand operation manager Rudy Karnadi, the cinema's patrons are mostly laborers who live nearby.

"After work they usually stop by and buy an entrance ticket for Rp 4,000 (about 43 U.S. cents) before going home," he said.

The cinema rarely shows drama or action movies because its patrons favor more racy material.

"Only erotic and uncensored movies sell well," he said,

There are four shows per day, each attracting an average of 20 people. The cinema's management pays a movie distributor Rp 400,000 per movie for a weeklong screening.

He admitted that the business was no longer profitable but the owner had no plans to close the cinema.

"Maybe, the owner will only close this business if the Jakarta administration wants to appropriate the land for road construction," he quipped.

Data from the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI) shows that there are currently 50 cinema complexes in Jakarta, including 37 with a total of 161 screens managed by the Cinema 21 chain and 13 with 44 screens managed by other companies. Grand is among the 13.

Association chairman Djonny Sjafruddin said there was no way cinemas such as the Grand could survive amid tougher competition in the cinema business.

But, many owners of the old cinemas were still reluctant to close their business for "sentimental" reasons.

"Most of the owners of the old theaters are Chinese- Indonesians. There is a belief among the Chinese that sons or daughters should not sell businesses that were started by their parents as it could cause bad luck for the family," Djonny said. (004)