Omega Film’s Hollywood import license under fire1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteMovie lovers flocked to see the final installments of the Harry Potter and Transformers series released at Cinema 21 theaters last week.
However, PT Omega Film drew strong protests from a number of local distributors – including its main competitor, Blitz Megaplex – for importing the Hollywood blockbusters.
Blitz Megaplex chief commissioner A.M. Hendropriyono, senior film observer Ilham Bintang and film importer and producer Raam Punjabi held a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday to voice their protest of the government’s decision to allow PT Omega Film to import the movies from the US-based Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
They said Omega Film should not be allowed to import MPAA movies because it was affiliated with
Cinema giant 21 Cineplex Group, which has been forbidden from importing MPAA films since January because they refused to pay taxes on royalties and arrears worth up to Rp 300 billion (US$35.4 million) to the government.
“Omega Film is a new outfit for [21 Cineplex], belonging to Benny Suherman and Harris, who have enjoyed a monopoly and evaded taxes for 19 years,” said Hendropriyono, the former chief of the Indonesian Intelligence Agency (BIN).
