The Pakse Hotel AKA The Pakse Theater - Pakse, Laos

I was initially hesitant to post anything about the Pakse Theater because it's been completely converted into a hotel and lacks evidence of its former cinematic glory days, but I've since had a change of heart. These old cinemas, you see, regardless of their current use, are testament to bygone eras. They are good starting points for queries about the larger forces that shape societies, like economics, technological innovation and the social mores of the day. What's more, within these buildings opinions were shaped, emotions stoked and daily routines given alternate perspectives -- not to mention all the things that people do when the lights go down. Movie theaters reside in the memories of the spectators who visited them, which is why they themselves should be a sustained part of the collective memory. Also, I just dig some of the buildings.


The Pakse Theater was apparently the first large-scale, modern building in the city of Pakse, built by the last king of southern Laos. It wasn't originally a theater, but in 1962 was converted into one. It also contained a casino. I'm not sure how long its movie-showing days lasted, but in 2003 it was completely renovated and turned into it's current incarnation as the Pakse Hotel.

The Rock Port North Theater: Pakse, Laos

The upper part of the Rock Port North Theater's exterior is made of corrugated tin

The west side of Pakse had its own theater. Almost equally as unassuming as the Ta Luang, the Hong Hoop Ngao Ta Hin Neua, or in English, the Rock Port North Theater, was smack in the middle of a commercial shopping street in an otherwise residential neighborhood. This area is memorable for me because of its old wooden houses which look like they're gonna give out any day. The theater has been abandoned for more than 30 years, though the food vendors that have opened shop beneath the front overhang use it to store bottled beverages. There are also building supplies stored in the now seat-less auditorium. A rehab job, perhaps?

Front door

Noodle vendor catches a nap beneath an old poster case

Boarded up ticket window

I asked one of the vendors if he would let me inside, which he obliged graciously, going so far as to give me a personal guided tour. "The owner," he said, "took the money and ran to Thailand soon after the communist Pathet Lao took control of the country. His daughter has since married an American and moved to the States."

Apparently the owner, still based in Thailand, has few prospects for the building, so he rents it to the vendors.

View from balcony

NOTICE: Children under 15 not permitted.

The Royal Port Theater -- Pakse, Laos

Lots of old timers in Laos call movie theaters "hong hoop ngao," roughly translated to "shadow picture houses." I guess that means that movies are known as "shadow pictures." Anyway, I spent a few days in the little city of Pakse, Champasak province, in southern Laos. The locals led me to three old theaters, one of them being the Hong Hoop Ngao Ta Luang, or Royal Port Theater.

I didn't get much info on this one, only that the owner still lives in town - a fact which contrasts to the other theaters I've come across in Laos, whose owners all bolted from the country as soon as the communists took power in 1975. It closed down in the mid-80's

This geezer's all wood. I bet it's one of the oldest theaters in SEA.

As I crept around the perimeter, trying to find a crack to get a peak inside, some kids rode by on bikes. One of them said to me "Yo dude, don't you know that joints haunted?" To which I replied, "I ain't scared of no ghost."

For those of you who think I'm trying to pass an old barn off as an old theater, check out the screen; barely visible through the crack in the door.

Rungjid Entertainment - Tak, Thailand

Street-side marquee, while the theater itself is inside a court, a common feature among movie theaters in Thailand.

An undetermined future awaits the Rungjid Banterng Theater (Banterng = Entertain, Rungjid = surname of original owner). The prognosis according to the family that ran it for 40 years prior to its 2006 closing, is that it will likely go the way of its ilk in Thailand.



The family still lives in close proximity to it and uses the court that it's in as a sort of backyard space. When I stumbled in I was met by a snarling dog and three generations of movie theater proprietors. After explaining my reasons for trespassing, I was greeted warmly and offered the grand tour.

The narrowness of the court and the length of the theater made it difficult to photograph

Talking about the old theater brought back fond memories for the grandmother. Her enthusiasm, however, masked a deep sadness. It was clear that the Rungjid was her passion. She recalled the one thousand seats in the auditorium, all wood when her and her husband bought the place from the original owners in the late 1960's.

The son spoke nostalgically of the crowds it drew prior to the advent of DVD's. Since the 1990's the operational costs outweighed the profits, yet they hung on until hope had withered away.

Would-be third generation of movie theater proprietor stands contemplatively in front of the old ticket window. "Tickets were 30 baht for most shows, but if the movie was from a larger production company the price doubled," said the grandmother.

They considered making it into a church, the family being of the Baptist faith, but it's apparently too big and costly. The other choices are to let it slowly rot or to raze it.

Many thanks to the family for so kindly letting me in and making the Rungjid Banterng one the most memorable theaters experiences I've had.

On a side note, Tak once had a total of three theaters. The other two have since been torn down.

On the road

Out on a collection mission. Stay tuned for an expanded, ever more exciting archive of ailing theaters in Southeast Asia.

The Mae Sot Rama - Mae Sot, Tak, Thailand

The border town of Mae Sot in Tak province is less Thai than anywhere else I’ve been in the country. A bustling downtown is packed with migrants of Burman, Karen and Bangladeshi decent, complete with a Muslim quarter thronged with ramshackle tea shops. Second and third generation Chinese-Thai gem traders sell their goods from open-front shops and a sizable Western presence comes and goes to service the refugee industry centered around the town. But what do all these people share in common? Why of course, they no longer have a movie theater.

But from the 1960's to the mid 1990's they had Mae Sot Rama to satisfy their escapist needs.

I spoke with the daughter of the current owners, who now run the T-Corner restaurant just next to the theater. She claimed that "small town Thai economies have suffered for the past 10 years" and that operating the family gem was too costly. "We'd like to find a tenant," she added, "but the place is in bad shape and it would cost too much to fix. Tearing it down would also come at the high price tag of 100,000 baht."

A poster case hangs ghostly in the lifeless lobby.

The Wiang Mai Theater - Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son,Thailand

Comatose would be a fair description of Mae Sariang, dangling on the edge of the Yuam River in Mae Hong Son province. I loved it all the same. Its small town charm belies a rich history. Of what, I don't know. A Thai-Burma trading depot of yesteryear, maybe? Whatever built this city I was happy to find one old theater in town. Wiang Mai roughly translates to "new town."


Apparently the place stopped showing films sometime in the mid to late 90's only to be reoccupied by the always-thrilling retail propane gas industry.

I think that's Jackie Chan in the top left corner.

Poster for Wong Jing's garbage "Return to a Better Tomorrow."

A rarity, the lobby walls covered with movie posters...and full of gas.