KUALA LUMPUR – With the average ticket price soaring above affordability, many individuals find it increasingly challenging to justify the expense of a night out at the movies.
According to a survey conducted by Scoop around the Nu Sentral mall here recently, people indicated that they would be more inclined to visit cinemas regularly if the cinema experience were improved.
STPM student Amira Zulaika, 20, said she had not been to the cinema in almost a year owing to the prices of tickets.
“If they want to persuade people, what they can do is maybe lower the ticket price to around RM15.”
An IT worker who only wanted to be known as Mikail, 27, expressed how watching movies online was more accessible for him.
“I just need to wait a few months after the movie is released, and I can get the movie in high definition quality complete with subtitles.”
“The price I pay does not justify the environment I get in return. I can still hear people chatting, and the unnecessary light from smartphones really bothers me.”
“I still prefer going to the cinema. However, some old malls still use the cash system, which makes it hard for me to prepare physical money just for parking,” Mikail said.
Another respondent from UiTM Shah Alam who identified herself as Aliah, 23, expressed her frustration with technical issues during showtimes, having to restart the movie halfway through.
“The option they gave us was either to rewatch the movie or reimburse the money, but it would take around two weeks to receive the refund, so I chose to sit through it.”
Adreena, a 20-year-old student from UiTM Seremban, said that she would rather buy food considering one cinema ticket cost two times her daily allowance for healthy meals.
“As a student, the ticket price in Selangor area is quite high compared to my home in Segamat. That’s why I haven’t been going to the movies for a few months.”
Another patron at Nu Sentral, Zahiruddin, 23, said there were too many cinemas in the Klang Valley compared to other places.
“I am from Seremban, where we have less than five cinemas in total, so people in that area still enjoy watching movies, and the parking fees are still considered cheap,” Zahiruddin said.
Many also argue that they hardly came across promotional teasers on social media lately, indicating that marketing was essential to attract more people to be aware of newly released movies.
In recent months, a total of five cinemas have been shut down. On August 14, GSC closed its cinema in Alamanda located in Putrajaya, and on November 27, it closed its Berjaya Times Square theatre.
Subsequently, after operating for 15 years, GSC 3 Damansara was closed a few days ago, on March 18.
In the latest announcement, GSC said it was closing two more locations, the most recent being GSC Klang Parade in Selangor and GSC Heritage Mall Kota Tinggi in Johor, both closing today. – March 31, 2024