Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Big screens back in Kuala Terengganu after 22 years, but strict rules apply

KUALA TERENGGANU — The state capital’s newest — and only — cineplex began operations with a bang, with thousands of teenagers thronging Paya Bunga Square to watch the latest blockbusters.

KUALA TERENGGANU — The state capital’s newest — and only — cineplex began operations with a bang, with thousands of teenagers thronging Paya Bunga Square to watch the latest blockbusters.

For movie-lovers in Kuala Terengganu, it has been a 22-year drought for big-screen entertainment. Cinemas were banned under the former Parti Islam Se-Malaysia state government as Islamist leaders considered them breeding grounds for sin.

After Barisan Nasional wrested back the state in 2004, a cinema opened in the oil-and-gas hub of Kemaman the next year. It took another 13 years for big screens to return to the state capital of Kuala Trengganu.

On opening night on Saturday, March 18, the Malay action thriller J Revolusi was among the crowd-pullers at the Lotus Five-Star (LFS) Cinema, operated jointly with the Terengganu State Economic Development Corporation (PMINT). The movie revolves around the members of an elite police special action unit who battle terrorists out to cause havoc with biological weapons.

Directed by Zulkarnain Azhar, the RM3 million (S$949,000) movie has grossed RM5.7 million to date, and been seen by 400,000 people since hitting cinemas nationwide and in Singapore on March 2. Other current hits on screen are Logan, Kong: Skull Island, Attraction, Power Rangers, Life, and Ghost in the Shell.

TIGHT REGULATIONS

The cineplex shares the seventh floor of the Paya Bunga Square commercial complex with the 36-lane Crystal Crown Bowl, among other tenants.

PMINT general manager Samium Salleh said the LFS Cinema is Terengganu’s first state-of-the-art facility, equipped with Dolby Atmos surround sound technology. So far, he said, six screens have opened, with five more scheduled to launch by May. “Over 3,000 patrons have watched movies (at LFS) since it opened its doors,” added Mr Samiun.

Along with modern amenities and technology, the cineplex comes with a strict set of rules.

Patrons are expected to be on their best behaviour — there are closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras monitoring their every move, even in the halls.

A representative from LFS confirmed to Malaysian movie site Cinema Online that there are CCTV cameras installed in each of the cinema halls. The cameras broadcast the footage from the halls live on a big screen in the cinema lobby.

The Kuala Terengganu City Council has mandated that the last movie of the day must end before 1am. The cineplex must also close on Muslim holy days and festivals, including “Malam Jumaat” (most blessed day of the week, starting from 6pm on Thursday until 3pm the next day), during Ramadan (6pm to 8pm daily), and from 6pm on the eve of Hari Raya Haji and Hari Raya Aidilfitri until 2pm the next day. AGENCIES

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.