Katrin Figge

Mini-cinema and DVD viewing rooms such provide at-home intimacy. (JG Photo)

Mini Cinema and Maxi Fun in Jakarta

Everybody knows the downside of overcrowded movie theaters. The couple in the back row won’t stop whispering, parents can’t keep their kids quiet, and other patrons won’t turn off their cellphones and have long discussions about personal drama, while the rest of the audience is desperately trying to follow the plot on screen.

So why bother going to the cinema? Why not stay at home and watch films on DVD? Because some movies just need to be experienced on a big screen with a great sound system. Watching the battle of Helm’s Deep in “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” on a TV screen, for example, causes only mild excitement, as opposed to having goose bumps and shaky hands when seeing life-sized Orcs trying to destroy the good people of Middle-Earth in the cinema.

Providing a hassle-free movie theater atmosphere — and without time wasted queuing for tickets — has turned out to be a lucrative business for some venues in Jakarta. So-called mini cinemas, or private movie theaters, enjoy increasing popularity with the city crowd.

Subtitles, located on the basement floor of Dharmawangsa Square in South Jakarta, is such a venue. It is owned and run by a group of friends, including Dani Dewanto.

“My friend Enrico started the business in 2000 as a DVD rental in Menteng,” Dani said. “He had this great private collection of movies, mostly foreign and independent films. So he decided to share it with others.”

Once the business grew, the friends decided to move to a bigger space in Dharmawangsa.

“We had only one theater at the beginning,” Dani said. “It was actually for testing purposes. People who wanted to rent a DVD could test it in our viewing room first. But in the end, it became popular and they wanted to watch the whole movie here.”

The concept of having mini cinemas on site was so successful, that the friends added more — they just finished renovating the place two months ago — and also opened a branch in Depok. The original Subtitles now features a coffee shop, three viewing rooms for 8-10 people and a smaller room for only two that was especially designed to play Blu-Ray films. Sometimes, groups of up to fifteen people come in, and sit on the floor to watch as there are not enough sofas and chairs.

“The whole idea is that the product, the movie, is actually the same everywhere,” Dani said. “But the experience of watching it can be different.”

He said that he didn’t think Subtitles competed with larger cinemas in Jakarta, as they focus on different kinds of films.

“We have the biggest collection of independent movies in Jakarta, not so much the Hollywood blockbusters” he said. “We have around 4,000 DVDs here, including many old movies, classics, which are very difficult to find.”

Screenings cost Rp 125,000 ($13.25) per room, but members get a cheaper price.

Subtitles is very popular with high school and university students, Dani said, who come in the morning through the early afternoon. In the evenings, the venue is filled with customers who come after work to unwind while watching a movie. The newest trend he has observed is that parents organize birthday parties for their kids at Subtitles, where the little ones watch a movie while eating snacks such as popcorn and French fries.

“Some local NGOs also do film screenings here, or groups use the space for festivals, like the Q Film Festival, and children’s film festival,” Dani said.

Ke’ku:n, a small complex just off the busy Bangka street leading to Kemang, also features a private theater, next to a beauty salon and a cozy cafe-restaurant with an outside dining area. The private theater, called Flickers, was added to the venue in 2004, two years after Ke’ku:n opened.

“We started off with just the coffee place,” said Malik Habir, the food and beverage manager of Ke’ku:n. “And then the owners thought, drinking coffee always goes well with watching movies, and that’s how they came up with the idea of Flickers.”

Flickers can seat six to eight people on three rows of comfortable red, brown and orange sofas. It costs Rp 99,000 to rent the private theater for two hours — the average length of a movie. The customers are allowed to drink and eat inside, but have to order their refreshments from the cafe on site.

“It is good business,” Malik said. “We make more money from having Flickers here than, let’s say, opening a boutique. I think, we are the only ones who have a mini cinema in this area. And it’s a good deal — if there’s a group of four people, it will cost them Rp 25,000 each. That’s the same or even cheaper than going to a regular movie theater.”

Unlike Subtitles, the customers at Flickers have to bring their own DVDs. Initially, the complex had a DVD store as well, but people would rather buy pirated movies for a cheaper price instead of the expensive originals, Malik said.

During the week, he said, Flickers is especially popular with couples who were looking for a private, more intimate movie experience. On the weekends, the place is usually packed with groups of friends. While it is possible to make reservations for Flickers on weekdays, on Friday and Saturday nights it operates on a “first-come, first-served” basis.

Rainaldy Said, 26, said he has been to Flickers several times already to watch movies with groups of friends.

“But the last time we went there is already a while ago,” he said. “That was back when we were still studying and were much more flexible. Since we started working, it has become more difficult to find time to meet up.”

He said that he enjoyed watching movies in private theaters, as it gives him a sense of togetherness with his friends, a feeling he doesn’t have in big cinemas.

“[Flickers] is also used for business meetings,” Malik said. “Small companies rent it — of course, they don’t watch DVD, they bring their laptops and show their presentations on the big screen.”


Subtitles
DVD rental and viewing room
Dharmawangsa Square - City Walk
Basement floor # 29-30
Jl. Dharmawangsa VI - IX
South Jakarta
Tel. 021 7278 8336

PIX
Viewing room
Margo City - Old House
Jl. Margonda Raya No. 170
Depok
Tel. 021 7887 1028

Flickers
Private theater at Ke’ku:n
Jl. Bangka Raya No. 99A
Kemang
South Jakarta
Tel. 021 719 4450

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