Golden Village Cinema

Indonesians clamoring for new Hollywood movies must head overseas

Indonesia has plenty of cinema screens – more than 600 nationwide. But a bitter dispute about import taxes on Hollywood films has led to a drought of new titles. Theaters have seen a sharp drop in ticket sales as moviegoers take a pass on second-run, local, and independent films. Indonesia’s box office is down by around 60 percent since February, when US studios suspended distribution, according to an industry association.

For Rusli "Sly" Eddy, a film buff in Jakarta , watching a pirated DVD or download isn’t a substitute for a big-screen experience. So he visits cinemas when he’s on overseas business trips and spends weekends in Singapore , about a 90-minute flight away. To make the most of these visits, he and other film fans squeeze in three or more movies a day, loading up on the newest imports.

“Obviously it’s devastating, especially during the summer season. You want to see your favorite blockbusters on the big screen and we can’t do it here,” says Mr. Eddy, who runs an annual fantasy film festival in Jakarta.

Golden Village, a theater chain in Singapore, has introduced a promotional offer specifically for visiting Indonesians, with a free pass for every eight films seen. Moviegoers must show their passport and boarding pass to qualify for the offer.

Indonesians are also traveling to Malaysia and Thailand to watch films, says Eddy. But many more are resorting to pirated DVDs, which are sold freely in Indonesia for a few dollars, often before they show up in theaters.

A glimmer of hope for movie fans emerged earlier this week when Indonesia’s Ministry of Finance said it would revise import duty on foreign films in response to complaints from distributors. Hollywood studios have objected to a royalty-based tax on films, arguing that it was unfair and at odds with international practice. The revised tariff is based on the length of the imported film.

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Golden Village Cinema ~ News Update

Golden Village: Golden Village Singapore . Golden Village Multiplex Pte Ltd. Golden Village is a cinema operator based in Singapore which is a joint venture by Golden Harvest of Hong Kong and Village Roadshow of Australia. It operates nine multiplexes and cineplexes in the country including a largest cineplex at VivoCity. It joined hands to open a cinema at Great World City, GV Grand. Started in 1992, it opened Asia’s first multiplex, the Yishun 10 multiplex. The cinema has the extensive management, operational and marketing skills of Village, as well as broad depth of experience of Golden Harvest in both film distribution and production across Asia. Golden Village Pictures is the film-distribution arm of Golden Village. The company distributes Village Roadshow Pictures titles such as the Matrix Trilogy, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and Happy Feet, in Singapore, as well as other acquired titles regionally and worldwide. The current General Manager for Golden Village Pictures is Maria Lorenzo.

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