CINEMA in SINGAPORE



Merlion - Symbol of Singapore

The Merlion is the symbol of Singapore and one that is very apropos for this country of can-dos. Emerging from the sea  and developed with next to no natural resources - except its people -Singapore has the heart of a lion.

With 5 million citizens, Singapore sits at the tip of the Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia and is one of the most modern and dynamic cities in the world and, I'm glad to report, has a very vibrant cinema.

Cathay Cineplexes is the foremost cinema group in Singapore and is managed and operated better then most cinemas in the U.S.  They boast a very competent, young, and vibrant staff  utilizing the latest technologies and marketing techniques -  which makes my job as cinema consultant much harder but also much more rewarding.



Platinum Lounge and Auditorium Seating                              



For example, their prime location, The Cathay Cinema, in collaboration with American Express, recently debuted the Platinum Movie Suites concept in movie viewing. The venue offers a separate box office, access to a private lounge where a variety of food and beverages (above and beyond the normal cinema's concession offerings) are available, use of Web-enabled WiFi iPads, butler service, and even blankets for use during the show, if desired.

 When the movie program is about to start you are ushered to your reserved seat (there are no bad seats is the auditorium) where your concession items are served to you.  The seats are  powered and can go to a full recline position. During the presentation you can order off a menu provided simply by pressing the attendant button (who discretely and silently will take and then serve your order)  The seating is arranged such that this service does not bother the other patrons.

The auditorium boasts top-of-the line projection and sound systems. This is premier movie viewing and certainly not for every one's taste, but it may be the wave of the future as cinema's will need to complete for that out of home movie viewing experience as content streaming gains in popularity. 

The up-charge for the Platinum service ranges from $14-24/person but after experiencing it I can tell you it is worth every cent of the extra charge as it takes the movie viewing experience to another level of enjoyment.

Cathay Cineplexes of Singapore could be showing us the future of cinema. My guess is that we are going to see more of these luxury movie going concepts in addition to main stream cinemas but without question, the business model for movie exhibitors to be successful is changing and we are going to see a vastly different cinema in the future.


Best and Happy Movie Going !
Jim Lavorato