GSC Cinemas will start reopening on Thursday, TGV to follow next week

AFTER a brief reopening when MCO 2.0 (or whatever they’re calling these things) ended back in March, cinemas nationwide closed once again when MCO 3.0 started in late May (I think, the last few months have blurred into one), and now with vaccination rates at the right level, cinemas are opening once again.

Let’s hope it sticks this time.

GSC Cinemas yesterday announced that operations at several locations in the Klang Valley, in the north and in the south will reopen on the 16th (Thursday, Malaysia Day). East Malaysia is out of luck for now, but with Sarawak taking the lead in Covid-19 case numbers, it probably won’t happen for a while.

TGV says they will open up next week on the 24th, though they haven’t announced a list of cinemas that will take part.

Because cinemas have been open overseas for the last couple months, there has been a logjam of high profile releases that have yet to premiere here. 

‘Black Widow’, ‘Jungle Cruise’, ‘Fast & Furious 9’ and ‘Free Guy’ have come and gone, and with piracy a reality, will it be too little too late for them?

That being said, ‘Shang-Chi’ is still tearing up the charts in its second week in the United States. 

The big titles on the way for the remainder of the year are Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ on November 4, with ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ coming sometime around Christmas. 

‘No Time to Die’ will also finally come out, despite being originally planned to have come out in February 2020, during the early days of the pandemic. 

In addition to the long-established SOPs of checking temperature upon entry, 50% seating to maintain physical distancing and sanitising the halls after showings, new SOP states that only fully vaccinated cinemagoers and staff aged 18 and above are allowed to enter the cinema premises.

Those going to see movies must also be able to produce digital vaccination certificates when requested. – The Vibes, September 14, 2021