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Where have the old movie houses gone?
“I still remember watching [John Guillermin’s 1974 film] The Towering Inferno at the Djakarta Theater [in Central Jakarta] in the mid-1970s,” senior film critic Yan Wijaya said
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“I still remember watching [John Guillermin’s 1974 film] The Towering Inferno at the Djakarta Theater [in Central Jakarta] in the mid-1970s,” senior film critic Yan Wijaya said.
“Back then, the theater had only one auditorium with 1,500 seats and a gigantic screen capable of showing 70mm films. It was just amazing.”
Yan is one of many middle-aged Jakartans who have fond memories of the city’s old movie houses.
“Sadly, many of the theaters are no longer around. Not only have they gone out of business, many of them have even been torn down to make way for more modern buildings,” he said.
The Djakarta Theater is one of a small number of old movie houses still standing. It now houses three auditoriums, after being taken over by the 21 Cineplex Group.
Long before 21 Cineplex and Blitzmegaplex cinema chains became powerhouses in the business, Jakarta was home to many independent movie houses.
Some of them dated back to the early 20th century. Names like Rialto in Senen and Tanah Abang, Al Hambra in Sawah Besar, Orion in Glodok, Cinema in Krekot, and Centraal in Jatinegara were household names in the city more than five decades ago.
The Oost Java Theater, which stood at what is now the intersection of Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara and Jl. Veteran III in Central Jakarta, was the site for the second Youth Congress in 1928. The movie house was torn down and turned into what is now the Supreme Court building.
The oldest movie house remaining in Jakarta today is the Metropole Theater on Jl. Pegangsaan, Central Jakarta. Construction for the art-deco building began in August 1949 and it was opened to the public in 1951 with the screening of the 1950 George Sidney musical Annie Get Your Gun. In 1993, the city administration designated the movie house as a site of cultural heritage.
However, apart from Djakarta, Metropole and a few others, Jakarta has lost the majority of its old movie houses. “The problem here is a lack of historical awareness. The government is not aware and most residents just don’t care about these buildings,” chairman of the Indonesia Historia Community (KHI) Asep Kambali said.
He said that preserving old buildings, including old movie houses, would bring more character to the city.
Yan said that at least 75 movie houses had disappeared from Jakarta over the past 30 years.
In the vicinity of the National Monument area alone, there used to be five movie houses, including El Dorado, President, Twins, and New International. There were also at least five in Glodok, West Jakarta, including Plaza, Tjandra, Gloria, New Djaja and New Asia.
Yan said that most of the old movie houses shut down after their owners had passed away.
“The movie houses were then sold and buyers decided to turn them into something else,” he added.
Another reason was that these movie houses failed to compete with the air-conditioned comfort of modern cinemas.
One such example is the Nusantara Theater in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. The movie house, which was popular in the 1980s and the 1990s, was on the wane in the early 2000s and was closed in 2004 due to low attendances.
“Before it was closed, it was making less than Rp 20 million (US$2280) a month. We needed around Rp 40 million per month for maintenance costs and employee salaries,” said Marjono, caretaker of the theater.
Today, the building looks worn, the glass panels on its front door held in place with duct tape. Inside, the furniture gathers dust while some ceilings need replacing.
The management of the Nusantara Theater is selling the building for Rp 21 billion.
Some of the old establishments, such as Djakarta, Metropole, the Hollywood Theater on Jl. Gatot Subroto (previously known as the Kartika Chandra Theater) and the Ismail Marzuki Park Theater in Jl. Cikini, Central Jakarta, have agreed to make themselves part of the Cineplex 21 network.
But before this can take place, the old theatres will have to spend huge sums on renovation work.
“In order to strike a deal with 21 Cineplex, these theaters must be brought up to modern standards, improving the likes of seating, sound systems and interior designs,” Yan said.
Management of the old movie houses will have to pay for all of these expenses, as 21 Cineplex is responsible for hiring employees and supplying movies.
At least Rp 1 billion is needed to improve the condition of a single auditorium so that it is able meet the standards set by 21 Cineplex. The chain usually requires a movie theater to have at least three or four auditoriums.
Yan said he had accepted the fact that the old movie houses were on the way out.
“Some may have romantic views that these movie houses should not go away. But with no money, how can they stay open? Movie houses are still businesses, and businesses need money to stay afloat,” he said.(mim)
