He said it was high time the state allowed a cinema to operate.

“It is more for families. It is part of family bonding,” the Padang Rengas MP said when asked to comment on the opening of the cineplex by Lotus Five Star Cinemas.

Nazri, who recently criticised the authorities for cutting a “gay moment” in Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, said the opening of cinemas was good for the economy.

He was speaking to reporters today at the Dewan Rakyat after the launch of the MPs’ Drivers Coalition, set up to look into the welfare of drivers and to enable them to network with each other.

LFS PB Sentral, operated by Lotus Five Star (LFS)Cinemas, is Terengganu’s first state-of-the-art cinema as it comes equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound technology and will have a total of 11 halls with a seating capacity of 1,631.

The cinema is located at the Paya Bunga Sentral, part of the development of the Paya Bunga commercial complex that also houses the Paya Bunga Square and Paya Bunga Plaza.

It was reported that among the popular movies at the cineplex, operated jointly with the Terengganu State Economic Development Corporation, were the locally-produced Malay action-thriller, J Revolusi.

The movie is about members of an elite police special action unit who battle terrorists armed with biological weapons.

Produced by Gayatri Su-Lin Pillai and directed by Zulkarnain Azhar, the RM3 million movie has to date grossed RM5.7 million and has been viewed by 400,000 people since hitting cinemas on March 2 nationwide and in Singapore.

Other hits being screened are Logan, Kong: Skull Island, Attraction, Power Rangers, Life, and Ghost in the Shell.