Call for more cinema day discounts to spur business
Residents have called for more “cinema day” discounts throughout the year as many flocked to theatres to take advantage of cut-price tickets yesterday. Some who bought tickets complained going to the cinema was no longer affordable.
Leung Hoi-yung, a 21-year-old student, was among dozens who queued up at Golden Harvest Cinemas in Kowloon Bay’s MegaBox for cheaper-than-usual HK$30 tickets for Japanese anime film Haikyuu!!: The Dumpster
Battle with three friends.
“It’s difficult to find affordable entertainment and leisure activities in Hong Kong for HK$30,” she said. “I enjoy watching movies, but the usual ticket prices ranging from HK$90 to HK$120 per movie are quite expensive.
“When you factor in transport costs and meal expenses, it easily adds up to several hundred dollars each time.”
Leung said she hoped cheap film tickets could become a regular event at weekends because it would encourage more people to visit city shops and restaurants.
The event, organised by the Hong Kong Theatres Association, involved 63 cinemas, including those owned by Golden Harvest, Broadway Cinemas, Emperor Cinemas and MCL, which sold tickets for HK$30 each yesterday.
The retail and catering sectors have reported hardship as residents spend weekends and holidays in Shenzhen and other neighbouring mainland cities since the border reopened. Many say a trip across the border offers better value goods and services. The first Cinema Day was held on April 27 last year as part of the “Happy Hong Kong” campaign, a government drive designed to bring back positivity after city life was blighted by the pandemic.
The Theatres Association logged a record high single-day attendance of almost 222,000 film fans on Cinema Day 2023.
Dickson Yip Sung-tak, 38, bought tickets to watch Kung Fu Panda 4 and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire back-to-back yesterday with his wife and two sons, aged seven and nine, because of the attractive ticket price and free parking at MegaBox.
“For just HK$240, my entire family can indulge in a full day of entertainment with two movies that my boys wanted to watch,” Yip said. “I am also allowed to redeem two hours of free parking with two ticket receipts.
“It is totally worth the money, considering a typical meal for a family of four can cost HK$1,000,” the business owner said.
The Golden Harvest and MCL websites showed they had full houses in the afternoon, but there were more seats available for movies scheduled after 9pm.
Some people used the event to say goodbye to the Golden Harvest Kai Tak in San Po Kong’s Yue Xiu Plaza, which launched in 2018, but was scheduled to close down for good yesterday.
“It’s quite nostalgic to me as I was born and raised nearby so this was my go-to theatre since I was a student and dating my boyfriend,” 21-year-old beauty consultant Janice Yuen Sau-han said.
Veteran filmmaker Tenky Tin Kai-man suggested an increase in the number of cinema days to at least six or more a year, particularly during low season.
“This approach can help extend the peak season by offering discounts during the non-holiday low season, indirectly attracting more audiences back to the theatres,” said Tin, who is also the spokesman for the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers.