Lights, Camera, Action: How Singapore Cinema Operators Are Rewriting Their Playbook to Bring Moviegoers Back

With Singaporeans’ evolving film consumption habits – watching films through streaming services, and the after-effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, cinema operators in Singapore have found it increasingly difficult to attract movie fans back to the cinema. The deteriorating industry has led Filmgarde Cineplexes to close its Century Square branch in early 2022, while Cathay Cineplexes has closed its fifth cinema to better manage its S$2.7 million debt repayment.

For other operators like indie cinema The Projector, their lifebuoy stems from organizing live events and niche film festivals to reinvigorate footfall by offering a unique value proposition.

The Projector currently operates two cinemas – one at Golden Mile Tower, and the other at Cineleisure Orchard, with the latter being a collaboration with Golden Village offering side events such as question-and-answer sessions with a film director when it screens films.

An interactive element has also been key to getting people out of their homes, where The Projector occasionally implements “dress-up nights” for film screenings to embed a social element that one would not get from streaming films at home.

Moving forward, The Projector aims to collaborate with more local organizations to deliver films that drive engagement with moviegoers, something it has done with the Cat Welfare Society to screen films about cats.

Dr Samer Elhajjar, a senior marketing lecturer from NUS Business School, believes that the future of the industry ultimately lies with cinema operators’ ability to balance evolving consumer preferences, profitability, and the cultural significance of cinemas — perhaps the repurposing of cinemas as hybrid entertainment hubs.

The industry remains full of possibilities if cinema operators can successfully cast their nets wide and re-write their scripts.

 

Source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/movies-cinema-operators-attract-customers-live-events-niche-film-festivals-4958786