Ok, so I’m a big movie buff. When I was in Jersey I had the good fortune of living 5 minutes away from a theater with 10 screens. More or less I would try to see about a movie a week. Sometimes it be 3 movies a week and sometimes it would be 0 depending on what was out for the week. The point is that I really love a good movie and watching it in a theater makes it 10 times better for me.
So one of the things I had to know was: what is it like watching movies in Southeast Asia??? Well, my first experience with this was Ironman at a “normal” theater in Bandung, Indonesia. I was there with a little sweetie who would later turn into the New Years Eve Stalker (I’m still a little creeped out by the “gift” she sent to my hotel room).
Right off the bat you notice something that makes total sense and makes absolutely no sense that American movie theaters haven’t adopted: when you buy a ticket you’re actually buying a seat. At the register there is a screen which shows you all the open seats and you pick where you want to sit. How ingeniously simple is that??? No more getting to the theater, buying a ticket and sitting in the nosebleeds or sitting so close to the screen you have to continually pan left and right. Oh and the tickets were only like 3 bucks.
Also, you notice that there are different “class” tickets for the movies. There are the regular seats, the Premier Class seats and then a Velvet Class. I thought, “well damn I’m gonna have to see what that’s all about.”
So “The Happening” comes out while I’m in town and Mr. Smith and I go to check it out. We go to the Senayan City mall in Jakarta, Indonesia and buy seats at the Premier Class seating cost (which is about the normal cost of an American movie ticket: around 7-9 bucks). Same deal as before, we get to pick our seats only this time I notice that there are a lot less seats than on the regular seating screen. It makes sense when you get into the theater.
In Premier seating theaters there were the equivalent of business class recliners taking the place of the regular seats that you’re used to. You can recline them like a La Z Boy and on top of that there’s a waitress inside who will take drink and food orders…………….so you don’t even have to wait in line for popcorn, hotdogs or Twizlers.
So what’s Velvet Class seating like???
Sure enough I was going to find out. Again, me and Mr. Smith got together to catch a flick; this time it was Wanted at the Pacific Place mall in Jakarta. He brought a lady friend and I was going solo (never really been too big on bringing chicks with me to movies).
Sure enough when I get to the screen to pick my seats there were even less seats than Premier Class and the tickets were 20 bucks!!!!! “Damn” I thought, “this better be one helluva theater for this kinda cash”.
With Velvet Class you also get access to a VIP waiting lounge. Here you can order alcohol, smoke cigarettes (yes, a theater with a smoking lounge!) and sit in nice comfortable lounge chairs and sofas. They also have a room with pool tables, a nice steakhouse, digital music store, karaoke room (this is Asia after all) and a gaming area with LCD TV’s and XBOX 360’s, Wii’s.
“Yeah, this is pretty cool, but still not worth the 20 dollar cover” I thought.
Then the movie was getting ready to start. I walk into the theater and couldn’t believe my eyes…………………….BEDS!!!
There were maybe 6 rows of full size beds. You get up to yours and there are clean blankets and pillows and f***ing slippers!!! There’s like a side table that’s a part of the bed frame where you can put your drinks that also has a call button for your waitress to come over and DO WHAT YOU SAY!!!
Then it donned on me: “That’s why the tickets were 20 bucks.” You’re actually paying for TWO people. When I look at it that way it’s actually about as expensive as a ticket in a regular movie theater in the US, minus the waitress, bed, blankets and slippers.
Still, I think I’ll keep going to the movie theaters alone. Me and some chick in a bed, in a public place???? We’d be kicked out before the trailers finished rolling.
- The Theater Steakhouse
- The Video Game Room
- Velvet Class Lounge Entrance
- Karaoke Room
- Pool Room
- Smoking Room
- Velvet Class Beds
Anthony Otomo is an IT contractor living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle (traveling wherever the money takes him). He is currently working in Iraq and plans to put down roots in Jakarta, Indonesia in the near future. He is happily divorced with a daughter.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Don’t be too sure you’d be kicked out if you brought a little friend. I haven’t tried out the beds yet (I certainly will soon though) but last week I took a very nice young student friend of mine to see Benjamin Button in the Premier theatre. We picked two seats right up at the back corner.
When the seats fully recline you are practically invisible to those below you (and given that we picked the early afternoon matinee the place was virtually empty anyway) and you can do pretty much what you like without being bothered at all. I’m glad we chose the Benjamin Button movie as it’s three hours long and I have to say it was one of the best fun afternoons I have had since I was a teenager, beats hiring a boring old hotel room I can tell you and a lot cheaper.
Next time it’s the “velvet class” beds for me though (the little drinks table between the recliners was a wee bit obstructive, but she’s a game girl and didn’t let that get in the way of the festivities). No doubt about it, I love the feeling of hot velvet in the dark.
Jakarta, what a town, you just never know what’s going on under the surface.
Jesus, Mr. Seal. If not for the fact you had a nice lady friend in with you to see Benjamin Button I wouldve pitied you. That movie was by far the longest bore Ive seen in years. But yes you must definitely check out the velvet class seating. Worth every penny in my opinion.
“That movie was by far the longest bore Ive seen in years”
I couldn’t tell you as I never actually paid any attention to what was happening on screen. I was enjoying my own show in the back row.