FLIX Cinema was founded by Agung Sedayu Group, one of Indonesia’s premier development corporations, with its name based on the slogan Fantasy, Live, Innovation and Ultimate EXperiences. Its first venue is at the PIK Avenue mall, in the Pantai Indah Kapuk district of north Jakarta.
The five auditoriums, or halls, are labelled Silver, Gold or Platinum, according to the facilities they offer. The premium-priced Platinum Hall offers the highest level of comfort, featuring a premium lounge, fully reclining luxurious seat, soft blanket, side table and a USB charger for all patrons. Complementing these facilities is, of course, the very best sound and picture technology.
Kek Chung Sie (or KC) of Jakarta-based KC Sound was asked to design the Platinum Hall’s audio system.
“The Platinum Hall only seats 24 people, but they are willing to pay a premium price for the best movie experience and I felt they deserved nothing but the best available reference sound quality,” he says.
“At FLIX Cinema, we believe that the ultimate movie experience is all about the best picture and sound – the rest, such as 3D or moving chairs, are just gimmicks,” confirms David Hilman, Chief Operating Officer at Agung Sedayu Retail Indonesia (ASRI).
KC’s acoustic calculations showed that an Alcons CRMSC pro-ribbon system would deliver the ultimate sound experience for the audience. He specified a system comprising three CRMSCompact Cinema Reference Monitor System in bi-amp mode, 12 CRMSC-SR compact reference surround loudspeakers and a CB211slFV Larger-format shallow subwoofer system, with front vent for baffle-wall mounting. The system is powered and controlled by three Sentinel3 amplified loudspeaker controllers, plus an ALC2 with DDP Driver for the CB211.
“I was able to demonstrate to FLIX Cinema that the CRMSC system offered the best solution and I was very glad they agreed, because it meant we could deliver the first Alcons Audio system to be installed in Indonesian cinemas,” says KC.
For a premium-priced experience, the equipment has to be the very best, a fact recognised by Yudho Rahutomo, Cinema Technology Manager at FLIX Cinema. “They are excellent speakers! Great dynamics, clean and clear, very crisp highs with no distortion. The sub-bass is also very full and impactful. The system was expensive, but worth having in our cinema,” he says.
“The customer feedback has been incredibly positive,” adds KC. “Every day Platinum Hall tickets are selling faster than any of the other halls, despite the fact that the ticket price is almost three times of the regular (Silver) hall. FLIX Cinema has a policy of two tickets minimum purchase per transaction for the Platinum Hall, but no customer seems to mind. They all say that the quality of the experience is worth the money.”
“As a result of the Alcons CRMSC system, our customers have given us a very high satisfaction movie experience rating,” concludes David Hilman.