AMAGASAKI, Hyogo -- A movie theater in Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture, has become known as something of a "holy place" for experience-centered and participatory screenings, where the audience gets up to sing and dance together and the sound system produces a heavy bass in gripping scenes.
I immersed myself in this mysterious sense of unity with an Indian film and the recent blockbuster "Bohemian Rhapsody" about the British rock band Queen at the Tsukaguchi Sun Sun Theater, located in front of Hankyu Tsukaguchi Station.
In February, I attended a Masala screening of the Indian movie "Muthu," where I talked to Tomoko Shimura, a fan from Hikone city, Shiga Prefecture, who showed up wearing costume of the movie's heroine.
From the beginning, along with the brave music score, the audience popped party crackers and sang and danced amid the confetti.
"I love the leading actor Rajinikanth, who is called 'Super Star,' and it's fun to get into his partner's character and dance with him," Shimura said with a laugh.
At the end of the screening, the floor was covered with confetti, which the audience cheerfully cleaned up before leaving -- all part of the decorum for enjoyable viewings, according to the theater's blog.
Have fun together
The Tsukaguchi Sun Sun Theater opened in 1953. Against the increase of big cinema complexes around the Hanshin area, the theater held its first Masala screening as a new endeavor in 2013, but it had a predecessor.
In 2001, fans of Indian movies started organizing Masala screenings at the Dobutsuen-mae Cine Festa 4 (permanently closed in 2007) in Osaka. They adopted the Indian-styled film appreciation, calling it the "Masala System," in which the audience would sing and dance.
"A person who had experienced the style at that time came to a Masala screening at Tsukaguchi and gave a tutorial for beginners. The exchanges spread, and it has become a tradition," said Fumihiko Tomura, 43, a chief of the movie sales department at the theater.
In 2013, in response to requests from movie fans, he adopted participatory screenings for movies other than the Indian films. At a screening of U.S. film "Pacific Rim," for example, the audience was divided into two teams supporting robots and monsters. "I was delighted to see the excitement, to enjoy it with everyone," he said.
The theater started special sound screenings in 2015, using large speakers designed for outdoor music festivals, which resonate deep bass, for the action and music scenes. "The sound changes the expression of the movie," Tomura said. He selects movies particularly suitable for these screenings.
The theater is also innovating to provide other unique cinema experiences. Twice last winter, it held totally silent screenings -- the audience refrained from disturbing the dead silence by not even opening carbonated drinks or rustling plastic bags.
'Feel the temperature'
"Bohemian Rhapsody" was screened with the special sound setup on March 27. It started at half past noon on a weekday.
"Special screenings are basically held on Saturday nights, but a mother with a small child wanted to join," said Tomura. "There are many simulated experiences such as 3-D and VR [virtual reality] these days, but I think it is important for people to feel the temperature."
Queen's world-famous performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert is reproduced in the last 21 minutes of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
"Aeo!" "Aeo!"
When I rose from my seat, clapping and hollering, I felt as if we were all immersing into the huge crowd on screen and actually transported to the Wembley Stadium.
-- Tsukaguchi Sun Sun Theater
A one-minute walk from the south exit of Tsukaguchi Station, which is more than 10 minutes by train from Hankyu Umeda Station. Two of the four screens (155 and 117 seats) are equipped permanently with additional speakers, enabling audio-enhanced screenings. The theater shows a wide range of masterpieces related to new works, art house movies and animations. For more information, call the theater at (06) 6429-3581.
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