At Bina Ria, Stands The First Drive In Cinema In Indonesia

Photo illustration (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Bina Ria is one of the tourist destinations in Jakarta. The presence of Taman Impian Jaya Ancol is proof. Inside Bina Ria, residents of old Jakarta can find many forms of entertainment, including drive in cinema . It was at Bina Ria that the first outdoor cinema in Indonesia was held.

Since it was first inaugurated by the Governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin, Bina Ria, which was the forerunner of Ancol Dreamland Park, immediately attracted the attention of Jakarta residents. On the day of the inauguration, they flocked to Bina Ria to enjoy all kinds of tourist attractions, from the thousand meter swimming competition, water skiing demonstrations, amphibious cars, acrobats, plastic girls, to musical performances.

As we reviewed in the article "History of Bina Ria: Bung Karno's Dream to Have Disneyland" , at that time, Bina Ria Beach - now Ancol Beach - immediately became the most visited beach by residents, apart from Sampur Beach and Cilincing Beach which first existed. The sea breeze and white sand are the main attractions of Bina Ria Beach.

Quoted from Johnny TG's report in Kompas daily entitled Ancol: Realizing Dreams in Ex-Swamps (2018), it is said that the management did not become complacent seeing the crowd at the beginning of the inauguration of Bina Ria. For this reason, the owners of the project, namely the DKI Jakarta Government and PT. Pembangunan Jaya, which is commanded by a famous businessman Ir. Ciputra continues to add various entertainment and recreational facilities.

Some of the facilities built are motor vehicle racing arena. The circuit, which is 3,590 meters long and has a width of seven to ten meters, consists of nine sharp turns. Built around a coastal area, the circuit is a successful magnet for amplifying attraction. Bina Ria Beach is even more crowded with the Jaya Ancol Motor Race I competition which will be held October 11-12. The race was followed by 150 motorbike riders from Indonesia.

Cinema "drive in" Ancol

Such is the advance of Bina Ria Recreational Park, the developer will soon build another entertainment facility on the edge of Bina Ria Beach. At that time, Ir. Ciputra as Director of PT. Pembangunan Jaya wants an outdoor cinema or drive in cinema.

In general, drive in cinema offers the concept of watching a cinema with the audience still in the car. Watching activities are carried out through a giant screen embedded in the open. This concept was deliberately brought up by Ciputra because he saw that drive in cinema was already so popular in the United States, Europe and Australia.

Ciputra's visit to New Work, USA, the place where the world's first drive in cinema was established, excites the entrepreneur. If drive in cinema in New York is the first in the world, then drive in cinema at Bina Ria Beach is the first in Indonesia.

Photo illustration (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

"Construction began on April 1, 1970 on a land area of 5 hectares, at a cost of Rp. 280 million which was fully borne by PT. Jaya Development. The car park can accommodate 850 cars or an area of 40 thousand square meters, as well as a play ground that can accommodate 400 seats, "said Johnny TG.

The manager also made a corrugated asphalt layer in such a way that the parked car was directed to the screen at the angle desired by the driver. The car park area is also carefully arranged so that the entry and exit of the car does not interfere with other parked cars.

Ali Sadikin inaugurated the drive in cinema in 1970. During the event, the man who was familiarly called Bang Ali also packed the cinema parking lot which was filled with hundreds of other cars. The first two films shown at that time were How To Get Married and The Outlaws.

“Apart from motels and cottages , Taman Ria Ancol is also famous for its drive-in cinema, which is a cinema that can be watched while sitting in a parked car in an open courtyard. We just need to enter the high-fenced drive-in cinema court by paying the entrance ticket. Then we park the car next to a wired loudspeaker hook that we can grab and pull into the car and adjust the volume, ”explained Firman Lubis in the book Jakarta 1950-1970 (2018).

Drive in cinema can only be accessed from 19.00-24.00 WIB. For visitors who want to enjoy the sensation of watching a cinema on the beach, they have to spend from Rp. 100 to Rp. 500 per person, according to the film being played. And if the audience needs food or drinks, the manager has prepared a cafe in the middle of the area with menus that can be enjoyed in the car.

“The film shows only at night, so its quite dark around us. Watching Drive-in, of course, is mostly done by young couples while dating. You can often see parked cars wobbling because the passengers inside are also playing movies! " write the Word.

The triumph of the first drive in cinema in Indonesia must end with the expansion of video cassettes and cable television. For today's generation, the Indonesian diva song, Titiek Sandhora, entitled Ke Bina Ria (1990) might be a way to imagine the popularity of drive in cinema .

How about we go to Bina Ria,

Many visitors took the floor there,

With a willing heart I go together,

But don't forget to come back soon.