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PETALING JAYA: Although the curtains have temporarily been drawn at all theaters, Gold Screen and TGV networks say the show must continue, as they seek other ways to earn income from their theaters.
Golden Screen’s brand manager, Sharmine Ishak, said the company could open cafes in select locations and offer the use of movie theaters for live events.
“We have recently expanded into other lifestyle entertainment, such as comedy, and we offer viewers the opportunity to reserve our cinemas for events.
“We are also making our social and lobby areas a joint work space. Offline and online marketing is another area that we are going to take advantage of, ”Sharmine told FMT.
TGV’s general manager of sales and marketing, Mohit Bhargava, said the company had seen a sharp 90% drop in viewers since closing restrictions began in March.
The chain had plans to generate cash through the delivery of popcorn and the sale of merchandise, gift cards and coupons, he said. “It is difficult to predict at this point how long cinemas will be closed, but we will monitor the situation and react when market conditions improve.”
The film exhibitors association recently announced that all theaters will be closed starting in November, due to a partial closure in several states, where theaters must close, along with a lack of new movie releases.
Although the federal government has allocated RM225 million to the creative industry under the economic recovery plan, no allocation was made for cinemas, Sharmine said.
He urged the government to develop a cinema subsidy scheme and to provide subsidies for the screening of films made by local film producers.
He also called for more relaxed standard health operating procedures. Current rules require moviegoers to sit with a separate seat from each other.
Mohit said film exhibitors agreed to have monthly meetings to assess the situation based on two factors: the launch of new titles locally and in Hollywood, as well as the lifting of the conditional motion control order (CMCO).
He said TGV remained optimistic about Hollywood blockbusters to be released in 2021 or 2022. In the short term, most of the content in the movies would be from the local or Asian industry.
He also said that the markets of China and Japan had shown “promising signs” in the recovery after the Covid-19 crisis, with box office numbers stronger than in previous years.
Mohit also asked authorities to reconsider the separate seat rule in movie theaters, saying it was a “real roadblock” for groups, families and couples.
