Cinemas to suspend operations from November

The once robust cinema industry in Malaysia has been brought down to its knees by the pandemic. - CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, cinemas will begin suspending their operations from November.

The Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) said while the conditional movement control order (CMCO) required cinemas to remain closed, lack of new films in the short term further compounded their predicament.

MAFE said new releases were essential to attract moviegoers back to the cinemas.

“Starting November 2020, cinemas will be progressively suspending movie screenings and concessions operations at their locations.

“But they will continue to monitor the situation and react accordingly should market conditions improve, ” it said.

MAFE said the Malaysian cinema industry had suffered massive revenue losses due to a drop of admissions of up to 90% year-on-year, whilst having to invest heavily on stringent safety standard operating procedure to ensure strong compliance and safety for the customers.

GSC Cinemas and TGV Cinemas will cease operations from Monday onwards, whereas other cinemas will suspend their movie screenings and concession operations sometime in the month as well.

MAFE vice-president Cheah Chun Wai said while the decision was not easy, it was in response to an increasingly challenging landscape for cinemas. As an industry, it was a necessary step for the long-term preservation of Malaysian cinemas.

“The coming months will be critical to the continuance of the Malaysian cinema industry.

“But the industry remains optimistic that after Covid-19, cinema attendance will rebound, stronger than ever, as movie-going will remain a top entertainment choice for Malaysians, ” he said.

Understandably, some movie fans in Malaysia were saddened and disappointed by this news.

Marketing executive Liz Tai, 44, said although the news did not surprise her, she was still very sad to hear about it as cinema was a big part of her life.

“Going to the cinema for the latest blockbuster was always a big event for my friends and family. I even attended movie screenings for work. I can’t imagine TGV closed and not being a part of it anymore, ” she said.

Sanjay Kumar, 52, was taken aback by the closure, saying he has been waiting to catch blockbuster films on the silver screen.

“Certain films are OK to be viewed at home, like dramas and comedies, but you can’t watch a James Bond film on TV. Or the Marvel films. It’s not the same, ” he said.

GSC CEO Koh Mei Lee told The Star that the industry was incurring losses of RM1.3mil a day, which translates to a total loss of RM475mil in 2020, compared with a profit of RM102mil in 2019.

TGV Cinemas sales and marketing general manager Mohit Bhargava said since cinemas reopened on July 1 after a full three-month closure, they had already endured deep revenue losses over that period.

“The industry had shown some signs of recovery but the most recent conditional MCO has put a major strain on our operations.

Earlier this month, Cineworld Group, the world’s second-biggest cinema chain, announced its plan to temporarily close movie theatres it owns in the United States (500 halls) and in Britain (at 127 locations).