With theatres finally given the green light to reopen today, it appeared as though there was little trepidation from the public about the Covid-19 pandemic, thanks to social media campaigns like #reopencinemas and calls from industry players.
Moviegoers streamed in at a steady pace this afternoon, with showings for movies like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and anime flick Demon Slayer: Mugen Train particularly well attended.
“I feel as though it’s pretty safe,” said Alicia, who’d brought her husband and three children to see Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, a movie she said her kids had been waiting a year to see.
“I think we’ve got twin seats in the cinema, so one person will have to sit alone, but we’re used to that sort of thing,” she chuckled, referring to the cinema’s social distancing policy allowing a maximum of two people to sit side-by-side.
She said that with the Covid-19 numbers falling, the family felt little hesitation coming to the movies on day one, particularly with measures like mask wearing and spaced seating implemented by the cinema.
For Alvin Ong, the extended closure of cinemas was unnecessary given that so many other places, like jewellers and spas, had been reopened first.
“It didn’t really make sense, even my family and friends were confused by that.”
He added he was glad that he could finally visit the theatres again, something he had been anticipating for some time.
“Coming to the theatre gives you an experience you can’t get at home in front of your TV or computer. The sound quality is better, and the whole atmosphere is very different.”
For Aiman Arshad, it was a time for him to de-stress. He came to the theatre straight from his penultimate SPM paper. He said he was “thrilled” when he first heard the news that cinemas would be opening their doors.
While he thought the cinema had done a good job in ensuring everyone’s safety, not everyone was as convinced as he was.
“At first, my family was quite scared to let me go (to the cinema), but after they saw some of the SOPs and how many others were planning to go, they lightened up a little bit.
“I don’t think they will be coming anytime soon, though,” he said, “I think they still have concerns about some of the younger and older family members.
“But, I think they’ll come eventually.”
Cinemas first closed last March when the first movement control order (MCO) was imposed, briefly opening once again before closing their doors in January when MCO 2.0 began.
According to the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE), operators have seen up to a 90% drop in year-on-year revenue, with over a quarter of theatres estimated to have shut down for good.
In addition, MAFE said the industry in 2020 racked up over half a billion ringgit in losses and had led to significant downsizing for operators across the board.