Cinemas are more than just about the movie on screen (2024)

It was reported recently that the Cathay Cineplexes in AMK Hub would screen its last movie this Sunday as its lease has ended.

The name Cathay brings back many happy memories for me as it was there that my lifelong experience with cinemas and movies began.

It was in the early-60s when I was six that Dad took the family to watch Hatari! at the old Cathay cinema at Handy Road in the city.

The movie was about the exploits of a big game hunter in Africa and the lead actor was none other than Hollywood icon John Wayne.

I, of course, didn’t have a clue who John Wayne was and I was more interested in the poor rhino he was trying to snare, while chasing it down in a Land Rover.

What an experience it was, though, and I’m sure it brought back a few memories for Dad, too.

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During the three years of the Japanese Occupation from 1942, his family lived at 42 Waterloo Street, a stone’s throw from Cathay Building where his father worked as a broadcast journalist for the Indian National Army.

It was then the tallest building in Singapore with a 16-storey tower and the Japanese regularly used the landmark to display the severed heads of those who refused to fall in line.

Dad never took us back to the Cathay again.

Instead we went to watch Tamil movies at the Ciros theatre at Telok Blangah and the Royal and Diamond theatres situated near each other at North Bridge Road.

That was the era of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan – the John Waynes of Tamil cinema.

They had numerous fans in Singapore and one was either an MGR fan or a Sivaji fan. Royal screened MGR movies while Diamond was Sivaji’s domain.

Occasionally, rival fans, intoxicated by more than just the cinematic experience, would indulge in theatrics of their own outside the cinema hall, their punches and flying kicks rivalled only by what they had witnessed minutes earlier.

Dad decided we didn’t need to hang around for the sequel, so we made a beeline for the bustop.

In time, we didn’t have to travel to the city to watch movies.

Movies came to us when Venus and Golden City cinemas opened near our Margaret Drive home in Queenstown, shortly after Singapore’s independence in 1965.

For what was then a princely sum of 50 cents, I watched Tarzan swinging through the trees in his loincloth, Benhur racing a chariot of horses around a Roman ring and Mary Poppins flying through the air with an umbrella.

In 1972, life imitated art when the notorious gangster Lim Ban Lim, who had killed a policeman, was himself gunned down by the cops near Golden City. It was curtains for Lim.

For the rest of us, life and the movies went on.

Across from my old school in Bras Basah Road was the Capitol cinema where I watched Dracula starring Christopher Lee who played the timeless vampire.

Schoolboys would regularly visit the cinema as there were student discounts in those days.

Growing up, I also frequented the old Lido cinema, Orchard cinema, the Odeon theatre in North Bridge Road and Prince theatre in Beach Road where I watched John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever with a group of NS buddies.

There was also a kampung theatre I went to occasionally, called Starlight, in Pasir Panjang where I watched the Beatles in Hard Day’s Night while seated on a bench.

The movies I will never forget though are Gandhi, The Godfather, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Exorcist and All The President’s Men, which inspired me to become a journalist.

When I was dating my wife Chitra, I introduced her to fish head curry and Freddy Krueger, a bogeyman character who slashed his victims to death with knives for fingers, in A Nightmare on Elm Street.

She wasn’t amused. The fish head definitely left a bigger impression on her than did Freddy.

When the kids came along, we took them to The Lion King, Jurassic Park and the entire Harry Potter series.

They’ve since left the nest, but we still go to the movies together as we did last Sunday when we went to Lido to watch Origin, a controversial movie about caste.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of going to the cinema and I’m glad that seniors like me can get a discount on weekdays.

Watching a movie at home may be a great experience for many but for me, nothing beats watching it in a cinema hall while sipping a co*ke and munching on my popcorn.

Long may the Force be with me...

Cinemas are more than just about the movie on screen (2024)

FAQs

Why is cinema so much popular answer? ›

(a) Cinema is so much popular because it is the cheapest means of recreation. It is a good posture. (b) Earlier there were silent, and black and white movies. Now we are dazzled by the colours in the movies.

What is a cinema with many different screens so it can show many films at the same time? ›

The largest theater complexes, which are called multiplexes—a concept developed in Canada in the 1950s—have up to thirty screens.

What is the difference between watching a movie in the cinema and at home? ›

In a movie theater, you can focus solely on the movie and not worry about any distractions. Watching movies on a big screen is a completely different experience than watching on a small screen at home. The larger-than-life images and immersive sound create a cinematic experience that can't be replicated at home.

What is the difference between cinema and movie? ›

'Movie' is a word of US origin, meaning the dramatic representation that one watches in a cinema or in the home or on a streaming device. 'Cinema' means in the UK and Ireland the building in which you go to watch movies, when you go to a building to watch them.

Why are cinemas popular? ›

Going to the cinema is an activity that has been a favorite pastime for many people for decades. It offers a unique experience that cannot be replicated by simply streaming movies at home.

Why do people like cinema? ›

An Appealing Escape

A light-hearted movie can make us laugh and feel joy; a romantic movie can alleviate loneliness; an exciting movie can get our adrenalin pumping. Movies allow us to view the world from a variety of different perspectives.

What is the cinema screen called? ›

A silver screen, also known as a silver lenticular screen, is a type of projection screen that was popular in the early years of the motion picture industry and passed into popular usage as a metonym for the cinema industry.

What cinema has the most screens? ›

The Kinepolis-Madrid Ciudad de la Imagen megaplex in Spain, owned by the Belgian Kinepolis Group, is the largest movie theater in the world, with 25 screens and a seating capacity of 9,200, including one 996-seat auditorium.

What is the biggest cinema screen? ›

Also, the rows of seats are set at a steep angle (up to 30° in some domed theatres) so that the audience is facing the screen directly. The world's largest IMAX screen currently stands in Leonberg near Stuttgart, Germany and measures 38 by 22 m (125 by 72 ft).

What is the difference between in the cinema and at the cinema? ›

“In” the cinema means literally inside the cinema itself or the building. “At” the cinema means at the structure or area where the cinema is. Unless you're physically talking something that is inside like a cafe or something it's “at” the cinema.

What are the disadvantages of watching movies in the cinema? ›

Another disadvantage of cinemas is the potential for distractions. Unlike watching a film at home where viewers have control over their environment, cinemas can be noisy and disruptive, with chatter, cell phone use, and other distractions detracting from the viewing experience.

What are the advantages of going to the cinema with friends? ›

Laughter and Discussion

Watching movies with others also allows for discussion and laughter during the film. You can share your thoughts and opinions on the plot, characters, and themes, leading to enjoyable and meaningful conversations.

Does cinema only refer to movies? ›

Cinema either broadly encompasses both films and movies, or it is roughly synonymous with film and theatrical exhibition, and both are capitalized when referring to a category of art.

What is the main difference between theater and film? ›

The biggest difference is the fact that theatre is a live and ever-changing art form while film is recorded, and thus stays the same every time you watch it. Theatre is also much older, as it has existed since the days of ancient Greece, while film has only existed for a little over a century.

Why is cinema called movies? ›

When films first started coming out of Hollywood, they were known as “moving pictures” which was later abbreviated to “movies”. Later, when sound was added, people started to referring to them as “talkies”, but eventually when sound in films became taken for granted, they reverted to the prior name, “movies”.

What makes cinema so special? ›

The collective nature of the narrative and visual stimulation makes the experience enjoyable and controlled, thereby offering benefits beyond mere visual stimulation. Moreover, the cinema is unique in that it is a highly accessible social art form, the participation in which generally cuts across economic lines.

Why do I love cinema so much? ›

So, why do we love movies so much? It's because they take us on adventures, help us understand life, and bring us closer to each other. The magic of movies is something that never gets old. So, grab some snacks, find a comfy spot, and let the movie magic continue.

What makes movies so popular? ›

Humans have an innate desire for storytelling, and movies are there are one of the most powerful mediums for storytelling. They can convey complex narratives, evoke emotions and communicate communicate ideas in ways that are engaging and memorable. They combined visual and auditory elements and a compelling way.

Why do people love going to the cinema? ›

In this sense, to the question “What are the top reasons that can encourage you to watch in the cinema?”, The answer “the immersive experience brought about by a huge screen and surround sound” collects 37.8% of the votes. Then comes the answer, “An engaging activity to do with friends or family,” with 34.1%.

References

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