Going back to cinemas
ON June 22, the Malaysian government announced that cinemas can resume operations beginning July 1, with some safety measures in place.
Among them are controlling the number of moviegoers in a cinema hall, as well as adhering to standard operating procedures (SOP) like temperature checks, social distancing, wearing a face mask and hand washing/sanitising. (See P12 for a more comprehensive list.)
Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) chief executive officer Koh Mei Lee said: “Since the beginning of the movement control order (MCO), we have been regularly maintaining and cleaning our cinemas, while preparing for the implementation of new SOP.
“As such, we are ready to open our doors to moviegoers from July 1. We look forward to seeing everyone at the movies.”
Film enthusiast Phui Ying said she will be heading to the cinemas come July. “I am excited that the cinema is opening because this will bring us back to some normalcy during this period of time.
“With social distancing and all sanitisation precautions taken, I think we will be good to go if we take care of ourselves, be smart and be more careful when we are out.”
Sani Abdullah said that he is elated with the news of cinemas being allowed to operate again. “After barbers were allowed to resume business, the next thing that I was keeping my fingers crossed for is for cinemas to reopen. While streaming shows at home is an option, nothing beats seeing a movie in a cinema.”
College student Lena Khoo misses the social aspect of going to the movies with friends.
“I can’t wait to watch movies with my friends when cinemas reopen. We will follow the rules that the cinema operators will lay out. It’s no big deal. I am already doing all the ‘new normal’ stuff at supermarkets and restaurants,” Khoo said.
With this announcement, film exhibitors can breathe a sigh of relief as the industry has been under considerable financial strain due to zero activity. But they also understand the level of responsibility that they have in the new normal climate.
Mmcineplexes director of marketing and business development Jason Teo said: “Our audiences’ comfort and safety are our top priority.
“We do expect some customers to take a longer time to decide when to visit (cinemas), but some – who miss going to the cinema to watch a good movie – will return to their favourite pastime.”
He said that since there is minimal availability of content till the end of July,
mmcineplexes is going to start off by showing reruns of old titles like Ip Man 4: The Finale at a discounted price, and March titles that were affected by MCO like Bloodshot. Fans can look forward to a slate of new movies starting with Train To Busan: Peninsula on July 16, followed by Mulan (July 23) and Tenet (Aug 13).