KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 10 ― Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Koh Mei Lee hopes Putrajaya will let all cinemas nationwide operate again soon.
While moviegoers will finally be able to watch new releases in theatres in areas under recovery movement control order (RMCO) as early as next Wednesday, others in areas under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) will not be so lucky.
Koh said some cinemas have been closed for the past six months, and have not made a single sen during the time.
“We appreciate what the government has been doing to control the pandemic. However, with the relaxation of restrictions allowing interstate travel, full capacity in cars, and no limit on diners, we hope the authorities will allow cinemas to open,” she told Malay Mail when contacted.
She pointed out that GSC has implemented stringent standard operating procedures (SOP), including the limiting of seats to enforce physical distancing, which has reduced seating capacity by half.
She added that moviegoers are also required to wear masks at all times in the halls, when they are not eating or drinking.
“Furthermore, there has not been any outbreak associated with cinemas globally. Gyms, fitness studios and swimming pools are allowed to open. Why not cinemas, where moviegoers are sitting quietly watching a movie?
“The cinemas have been closed for six months with zero revenue and the industry is in deep crisis.
“With only 40 cinemas or 25 per cent of total cinemas allowed to open, we will not be able to get movie releases from distributors and we will continue to bleed,” she said in regards to GSC’s cinemas.
Cinemas were first ordered to close during the initial movement control order implemented in March to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the facilities have been periodically allowed to open depending on the number of local infections.
After closing all its halls on November 2, GSC will reopen nine of its cinemas on December 16 in areas under RMCO. Other operators such as MBO Cinemas will also follow suit.
However, all cinemas in areas under the stricter CMCO will remain closed.
In October, Koh told StarLifestyle that the industry is losing up to RM1.3 million a day, for a total loss of RM475 million in 2020.
In contrast, she said in 2019 the cinema industry had only earned a profit of RM102 million.