Fans Turn Potty Over Harry’s Finale

Fans Turn Potty Over Harry’s Finale

Chrestella Tan, Elisabeth Oktofani & Hangga Brata

In a sign, perhaps, of just how excited Indonesians are to finally be able to watch the last installment of the Harry Potter series, a mad rush for tickets ensued on Wednesday.

By early afternoon, the online booking system operated by 21Cineplex, one of two movie chains screening “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2” starting on Friday, crashed.

When the Jakarta Globe attempted to register on 21Cineplex’s MTIX Web site, the site said it could no longer process new members because it was overloaded.

Blitz Megaplex, the second movie chain, said it had anticipated the increased demand by adding an extra server.

“Now we have separate servers for the Web site and data base so the Web site is faster,” Blitz marketing head Dian Sunardi told the Globe.

In XXI Senayan City, people started lining up for tickets even before the theater opened at 11:30 a.m.

“When we opened the cinema this morning, crowds of fans were already waiting to buy tickets for Friday,” said Rahmat, a security officer.

Mela, the manager for XXI Senayan City, said tickets for all screenings on Friday were almost sold out. “But many people are also buying tickets for Saturday and Sunday. People have been waiting for this,” she said.

Ranny, 19, who came with her family, bought nine tickets for a screening on Friday. “It’s full already. I bought nine for me and my family, but we need to sit separately. Like two, four, here and there,” he said.

Sheggy Chesario, 23, an advertising account executive, said that he had tickets to watch Harry Potter on Friday night.

“I stood in line for 45 minutes and got three tickets for the Friday 7:45 p.m. show at Plaza Senayan,” Sheggy said.

Wendy, 18, has already seen the movie in Singapore but was in line to get tickets. “And a lot of friends are texting me and asking me to buy them Harry Potter tickets,” she said.

Meanwhile, the postal service in Solo reissued a series of stamps bearing likenesses of characters from the films. The stamps, which Solo postal authorities say can be used to ship mail anywhere in Indonesia, are available as four different sets of 12, and cost Rp 35,000 ($4.15) each.

Hanin Fathan Choiriyah, a spokeswoman with the Solo Postal Service, warned that supplies of the collectibles were limited, with only 400 of the 12-stamp series in stock.

The stamps, originally produced in 2007, were reissued with the movie release.

Magic Date Still Uncast For the Final Harry Potter

Magic Date Still Uncast For the Final Harry Potter

As the world lined up to catch the final Harry Potter movie, Indonesian fans were left to take comfort in an announcement by Cineplex 21 that the film would be screened in Indonesia, just not anytime soon.

It was a dispiriting weekend for Indonesian fans of the boy wizard as “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” opened around the world, smashing box-office records as fans camped out and held parties to mark the finale of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.

The movie smashed the US single-day box office record with a whopping $92.1 million in opening-day sales. That was easily better than the previous record holder, 2009’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” which took in $72.7 million on its opening day.

Industry experts predict Potter and his wizarding friends will set the opening weekend record in the United States. “The Dark Knight,” the last film in the Batman series, hauled in $158 million on its opening weekend in 2008.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” has now opened in almost all countries. Indonesian screens, however, remain bereft of Potter and other Hollywood blockbusters.

By all accounts, the Hollywood film boycott over a royalty dispute and the subsequent government ban on major film importers that began in February are nearing an end.

Djonny Sjafruddin, head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), told the Jakarta Globe on Thursday that all the issues had been resolved, clearing the way for films to begin arriving here.

“We’re now only dealing with technical issues,” he said, such as films going through censors and having subtitles added.

Over the weekend, Noorca Massardi, a spokesman for Cineplex 21, the country’s biggest cinema chain, told the Globe in a text message that viewers could check the Cineplex 21 Web site to see which Hollywood movies would be playing soon.

In addition to Harry Potter, the Web site also lists “Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”

But Djonny warned fans not to be overly optimistic. “Although they have appeared on the list of movies coming soon, that does not mean they will come very soon,” he said.

“It could be one week, two weeks or even a month before they are screened.”

Djonny said Hollywood films could begin arriving here in as little as 10 days, but he could not yet give an exact date.

“Our priority is ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ because of high demand from the audience,” he said.

The boycott, he added, has already led to about a 60 percent drop in cinemas’ revenue.

Shafiq, a member of Indo Harry Potter, an online fan community with 6,000 members across the country, flew to Singapore for the movie’s opening last week. Shafiq told the Globe he was positive that Harry Potter would be screened in Indonesia.

“The only question now is when exactly will it be shown? We are really curious about it,” Shafiq said.

Slowly but Surely, Harry Potter Is Coming to Town

Slowly but Surely, Harry Potter Is Coming to Town

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon now appear on the Coming Soon movie list on the Cinema 21 website. Does this mean Hollywood films are back in Indonesia?

Noorca Massardi, a spokesman for Cinema 21, Indonesia’s biggest cinema chain, told the Jakarta Globe on Saturday in a text message that viewers can check the Cinema 21 website to see which Hollywood movies will be playing soon.

But Djonny Sjafruddin, head of the Indonesian Cinema Companies Union (GPBSI), cautioned that the wait may not be over yet. “Although they have appeared on the list of movies coming soon, that does not mean they will come very soon,” he explained.

“It could be one week, two weeks or even one month before the screening,” he said.

“However, as almost all film importation issues are now solved, especially regarding customs, royalties and income tax, we’re now only dealing with technical issues,” he added.

Djonny said Hollywood films might arrive here in as little as 10 days, but he cannot yet give an exact date.

“Our priority is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, because of high demand from the audience,” he said.

Shafiq, a member of Indo Harry Potter, an online fan community with six thousand members across the country, told the Globe he is sure that Harry Potter will be screened in Indonesia.

“The only question now is when exactly will it be shown? We are really curious about it,” he added.

Although all film importation issues were resolved, Ukus Kuswara, director general of culture, arts and film at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, has not been able to confirm when Hollywood films will return to Indonesian cinemas.

“I have not been able to confirm when Hollywood films can be screened, but we will inform the press once everything is really clear,” he said.

Newly registered film importer Omega Film was given a film import license on May 3, but a freeze was imposed as officials sought to clarify its relationship with Indonesian film giant Cineplex 21.

Cineplex 21 is affiliated with Camila and Satrya, two major film importers banned by the Finance Ministry pending payment of Rp 22 billion ($2.6 million) in back taxes and interest.

Omega was the only company given an import license among the six that applied, as four appeared to have the same address as Omega. It was not clear why the fifth was rejected.

Tourism Minister Jero Wacik has said that the Motion Picture Association of America, the umbrella group for six major Hollywood studios that boycotted Indonesia in February over a royalty dispute, only wants to deal with importers it is familiar with, understood to mean Camila, Satrya and the Cineplex group.