COVID-19: All Singapore cinemas closed until 30 April

The government has mandated that all cinemas be closed from 26 March 2020 at 11:59pm until 30 April 2020. As such, all 40 cinemas in Singapore are currently shut for business. All screenings and events at cinemas during this period have been cancelled, and movie bookings are no longer available across all sales channels.

Previously, cinema operators have introduced social distancing measures, such as a 1 metre queuing distance between patrons, as well as seating plan restrictions. Temperature checks have also been introduced as a precautionary measure. Still, the government has decided that all cinemas must be closed to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This means that cinemas will not re-open until at least Friday, 1 May 2020, which is the earliest possible re-opening date. The government restrictions may change depending on COVID-19 developments, so it is possible that movie-goers may have to wait longer before hitting the screens again.

GV cinemas will not be re-opening until at least 1 May. For affected patrons, online bookings will be automatically refunded within four weeks, while holders of physical tickets that were purchased at box offices or via Automated Ticketing Machines can receive refunds when GV re-opens for business. Expiring vouchers and pre-paid cards will have their validity extended.

Golden Village Jurong Point closed

A temporary closure notice by Golden Village - all GV cinemas closed from 27 March till 30 April

Similarly, all Shaw Theatres locations will not be re-opening until at least 1 May. Refunds for affected screenings are similarly available - online and credit card purchases will be refunded within four weeks, while cash and NETSPay purchases will have refunds possible when cinemas become operational again.

Shaw Theatres JCube IMAX closed

Temporary closure notice by Shaw Theatres - all its cinemas closed from 27 March till 30 April

Cathay Cineplexes will be closed until further notice, without specifying any end date to this arrangement. Its vouchers such as F&B Vouchers, Everyday Movie Vouchers, Platinum Movie Suites Vouchers as well as Senior Vouchers will have an extension of their validity.

Cathay Cineplexes Jem closed

A temporary "curtain call" by Cathay Cineplexes

Movie Releases Postponed due to Coronavirus

Film distributors in China has decided to indefinitely postpone the release of several movies, which had been scheduled to premiere on 23 January. This is light of the virus outbreak in Wuhan, which has prompted producers and distributors to take action for preventing its possible spread at movie theatres in China. As a consequence, the films cannot be screened overseas ahead of China's premiere.

The affected films are Vanguard (急先锋), Jiang Zi Ya: Legend Of Deification (姜子牙), The Rescue (紧急救援) and Detective Chinatown 3 (唐人街探案 3). These have originally been planned to hit theatres for the Lunar New Year weekend.

The local cinema operators have advised patrons to consider other movie titles in the interim. The following options are available for those with existing tickets for the above films:

Golden Village

Online bookings: automatic refund within 3 weeks
Other booking methods: visit any GV box office with ticket for refunds

Cathay Cineplexes

Online and mobile bookings: automatic refund within 4 weeks
Other booking methods: visit the box office where ticket was purchased for refund or exchange

Shaw Theatres

Online bookings: automatic refund within 4-6 weeks
Other booking methods: visit the box office where ticket was purchased for refund or exchange

WE Cinemas

Online bookings: email contact@engwah.com.sg with booking number for refund
Other booking methods: visit box office with ticket for refunds

Filmgarde Cineplexes

Online and mobile bookings: email marcom@filmgarde.com.sg with booking number for refund
Other booking methods: visit the box office where ticket was purchased for refund or exchange

Golden Village PayLah! Discount Promotion

New year, new promotion! Now until the end of 2021, patrons can enjoy $2.50 off on Wednesdays and $1 off on other days if they pay for their cinema tickets using the DBS PayLah! app, iGV app or on the official GV website.

This applies to standard 2D/3D screenings only, and the discount not valid for public holidays, their eves and for special screenings.

Movie ticket discounts - GV, Cathay, Shaw & Filmgarde

With an array of discounts and promotions all the time, it is perhaps never too smart to buy movie tickets or even popcorn at regular price. This is especially true for weekend tickets for blockbuster films (or "premium films" in the opening week, as one cinema operator calls it). So here is a list of the current discounts for reference. Note that most of them are only available for walk-in customers at the box office, and not for phone bookings etc.

GOLDEN VILLAGE PROMOTIONS

1. DBS/POSB Credit & Debit Card discount

Discount of $1 to $1.50 (depending on session)

Conditions:

• Payment must be made with DBS/POSB Credit or Debit card, through Visa or MasterCard
• Only applicable for box office and online web purchases
• Exclusions apply, such as selected public holidays and their eves, and during opening week of blockbuster titles

2. SAFRA Card discount

$7.50 weekday tickets (except Fridays) and $9 Friday and weekend tickets

Conditions:

• Only applicable for purchases at box office and through SAFRA websites; regular films (i.e. non-3D etc) only
• Maximum of 10 discounted tickets
• Exclusions apply, such as selected public holidays and their eves, and during opening week of blockbuster titles

3. VISA Platinum, Signature and Infinite Card discount

Get the 4th ticket free with 3 purchased

Conditions:

• Valid for Friday, Saturday and Sunday screenings only
• Applicable for online purchases only, and payment must be charged to the Visa card

4. Golden Village Movie Club discount

$6.50 for regular films on Tuesdays

Conditions:

• Box office and online purchases only
• Not valid where a Tuesday falls on an eve of/or public holiday

5. GV Student Price

$7 for regular films before 6pm from Mondays to Fridays

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• Each student card is entitled to 1 ticket only

6. GV Senior Citizen discount

$4.50 for regular films before 6pm from Mondays to Fridays

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• For senior citizens aged 55 and above only

7. DBS PayLah! app discount

Book your tickets via the PayLah! app to enjoy a $2.50 discount off your Golden Village movie tickets every Wednesday (limited to first 5,000 tickets, max 4 tickets for each transaction).

From Mondays to Sundays, enjoy $1 off all standard 2D and 3D movie tickets. Simply tap the GV icon on the DBS PayLah! app to make your booking.

CATHAY CINEPLEXES PROMOTIONS

1. MasterCard, UOB Card, Selected American Express Cards, NTUC Plus! Card and PAssion Card discount

$7 from Mondays to Thursdays, excluding public holidays and eves

$9.50 from Fridays to Sundays and public holidays and eves

Conditions

• Box office purchases only; regular films (i.e. non-3D etc) only
• Additional $1 for blockbuster titles applies for MasterCard, UOB and American Express

2. Cathay Student Price

$7 for regular films before 6pm from Mondays to Fridays, and receive 12oz Coke

Conditions

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• Each student card is entitled to 1 ticket and 1 drink only

3. Cathay Senior Citizen discount

$4 for regular films before 6pm from Mondays to Fridays, and receive free coffee/tea

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• For senior citizens aged 55 and above only

SHAW THEATRES PROMOTIONS

1. Citibank Card and OCBC Card discount

2 regular movie tickets, one 85oz popcorn and two 32oz drinks for $25

2. OCBC Card discount

$1 discount for regular movie ticket

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only
• Payment must be charged to a Citibank/OCBC Credit or Debit Card

3. UOB Card discount

$7.50 tickets for Monday to Thursdays, excluding public holidays and eves (minimum of 2 tickets)

$28 for 2 regular tickets, two 46oz popcorns and two 22oz drinks

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; regular films (non-3D, non-IMAX etc) only
• Payment must be charged to a UOB Credit or Debit Card

4. Maybank Card discount

$23 for 2 regular tickets and a large popcorn combo (one 85oz popcorn and 32oz drink)

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only
• Payment must be charged to a Maybank card

5. PAssion Card and NTUC Card discount

$7.50 from Mondays to Thursdays, excluding public holidays and eves

$10 from Fridays to Sundays and public holidays and eves

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; regular films (i.e. non-3D, non-IMAX etc) only
• Cardholders may only purchase between 2 and 4 tickets (inclusive) per day

6. Shaw Student Price

For screenings before 6pm on Mondays to Fridays,

$6.50 for regular ticket, $9 for 3D ticket, $12 for IMAX 2D ticket, and $14 for IMAX 3D ticket

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• 1 discounted ticket per student pass

7. Shaw Senior Citizen discount

For screenings before 6pm on Mondays to Fridays,

$4 for regular ticket, $12 for IMAX 2D ticket, and $14 for IMAX 3D ticket

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• For senior citizens aged 55 and above only

FILMGARDE CINEPLEX PROMOTIONS

1. Filmgarde Student Price

$7 for regular films and $9 for 3D films, before 6pm from Mondays to Fridays

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• 1 ticket per student pass

2. Filmgarde Senior Citizen discount

$4 for regular films before 5pm from Mondays to Fridays

Conditions:

• Box office purchases only; excludes public holidays and their eves
• For senior citizens aged 55 and above only

Note: This is a non-exhaustive list of discounts presently offered at local cinemas. The conditions listed are not comprehensive and are subject to change by cinema operators and/or their partners. Validity period differs for each promotion. Limits to number of purchases might not have been listed above but still apply. The above are the author's interpretation of the terms and conditions. Information consolidated herein are intended for reference only.

Shaw Theatres Lido Hall 1

After introducing the Shaw Lido cineplex earlier on, let us take a look at Hall 1 of the same cinema. It is on level 6 and is accessed through the narrow escalator together with halls 2 and 3.

Hall 1 is the biggest hall of all 11 screens, with a capacity of about over 400. It is configured to have rows A to Z, with two side aisles and a middle aisle.

Seating configuration. The screen is positioned at the top (i.e. in front of row U).
Image from www.shaw.sg

Different from other big halls like GVmax and Grand Cathay, the entrance is located somewhere at the top right of the image. Curtains concealing the entrance are closed when the movie starts so as to keep out the light.There is also male and female toilets on the left, which is exclusively for patrons in this hall so you can visit the washroom in the middle of the movie. One notable feature is that there are pillars near the sides of the hall (actually some other halls in Lido also have pillars, like Lido 7). The screen is large and bright, located in front of something like a stage. As with other cinemas, the curtains open up further to reveal a wider screen after the commercials.

Entrance located on the right.
Observe that the seats are positioned radially and form an arc so that every seat faces the screen.

Like the other halls, the seats are all fitted with headrests. They are one of the more comfortable seats around. Seat numbers are near the edge of the armrests and be sure to put your drink or popcorn on the right armrest facing the screen.

Lido halls are fitted with these ergonomic seats. They are well shaped, though they feel slightly harder and less soft than in other cinemas.

Overall, the great screen, new and comfortable seats, nice carpeting and outstanding cinematic atmosphere makes Shaw Lido Theatre 1 stand out among the crowd! Perhaps one of the few downsides is that it can get a bit cold at times if the theatre is not packed, so bring a jacket along or wear some sleeves. Do try out Lido 1 someday!