For movie buffs, a fun moviegoing experience comes from catching a great flick in the cinema. However, that only contributes little to the overall moviegoing experience as other factors such as ease (ticket purchasing), comfort (seats, ambience), and technical features (sound, screen), amongst other minor things, play a big part too.
For example, spending an additional RM60 on a 3-hour long Gold Class movie ticket would make a world of a difference as compared to say if you went for a normal priced ticket. Or spending an additional RM20 on a D-Box motion seat ticket or a Dolby Atmos hall ticket (or both) for an action flick will allow you to watch and enjoy the movie on a whole new level.
Source: www.rabblerousetheworld.com
As such, we thought we’d quickly list down some Malaysian cinema features (and some upcoming cinema features) that will enrich your moviegoing experience. Trust us, this is worth your while:
1. TGV
Formerly known as Tanjong Golden Village, TGV Cinemas is the second largest cinema chain in Malaysia. In the recent years, TGV Cinemas underwent a rebranding exercise spree, which saw its (previously largest) outlet in Sunway Pyramid being put through some renovation works. You might remember the 1 Utama outlet going through a major facelift as well not too long ago, which took a year-long’s worth of renovation works. The TGV 1 Utama outlet is currently the largest TGV cinema in Malaysia with 12 halls. TGV currently has 22 cinemas all over Peninsular Malaysia (including the one which is undergoing renovation). Another 4 outlets will be opening in the future, including 3 in East Malaysia.
Indulge
With the renovations came the more luxurious cinema hall concepts such as TGV Club and TGV Indulge. We picked TGV Indulge specifically because it is the first luxury cinema in TGV 1 Utama. We were there recently with a good friend of ours and local entertainment icon, Chelsia Ng. We have to say that it’s worth the going momentarily broke for. It has its own private ticketing counter, lounge and dining area and also 2 exclusive cinema halls fitted with reclining chairs and personalised call-waiter-service that can accommodate 32 and 40 pax respectively.
Whilst Indulge is open to the public, it is specifically targeted at those who enjoy exclusivity and the finer things in life. Check out the absolutely fine menu here.
TGV Indulge tickets are priced at RM45 each.
IMAX
Because how can anyone call themselves an avid moviegoer if they haven’t watched on in IMAX at least once? Though this technology really needs no introduction, we’ll throw in some facts anyway. IMAX (an acronym for Image MAXimum) is a motion picture film format and a set of cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. It has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems. Since 2002, some feature films have been converted (or upgraded) into IMAX format for display in IMAX theatres and some have also been partially shot in IMAX.
Some of your favourite movies that were shot in/for IMAX are such as “Gravity”, “Transformers: Age of Extinction”, “Lucy”, “Interstellar”, and of course, the “The Hobbit” trilogy. Let’s not forget that the upcoming “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is wholly filmed with IMAX cameras!
IMAX tickets are priced at RM28 each.
Beanieplex
TGV Cinemas’ highly talked about Beanieplex is named after the highly comfortable and spacious bean bag seats that you get to sit on at the TGV Beanie auditoriums. Couples would also be pleased to know that the colourful Beanieplex seats are positioned in pairs making it quite private and quite ideal for lovebirds. The seating also provides a wide leg room of 2.0m, so that cinema patrons can be at full recline (read: couch potato mode) while watching a movie. TGV’s introduction of bean bags to the cinema industry has indeed revolutionised the moviegoing experience in Malaysia.
TGV Cinemas’ Beanieplex halls are available at TGV 1st Avenue (Penang), TGV 1 Utama, TGV Sunway Pyramid, TGV Setia Walk Puchong, TGV Tebrau City (JB), and TGV Bukit Indah (JB).
Source: TGV Cinemas
We must say that it’s pretty darn perfect for that first date or Valentine’s Day or anniversary celebration too. Fun for all the best novelty reasons, tickets for TGV Cinemas’ Beanieplex are priced at RM22 per person.
2. GSC
Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) is the largest chain of cinemas in Malaysia. The biggest cinema is located at Mid Valley Megamall and it houses 18 screen cinemas and has 2899 seats which is the largest in Malaysia. As of late 2012, GSC operates the largest circuit of cinema in the country with a total of 229 screens in 29 locations and 42273 seats all throughout the country. All of which are located in prime sites in major cities and towns throughout the country. They’ve recently opened up a new outlet at Quill City Mall and they’ll be launching another one at Nu Sentral Mall in Kuala Lumpur a little later this week 
Gold and Premiere Class
Ah, yes. How can we go without talking about GSC Cinemas’ Gold Class and Premiere Class, the cinema feature which gave us our first taste of luxurious moviegoing ahead of other cinema operators in Malaysia?
GSC Premiere Class
It truly is a 5-star cinema experience as the Premiere Class (equivalent to the business class service in the airline) features equipped with comfortable and spacious seats. The seats come with an attached tray at the side for patrons to place their snacks and drinks. Premiere Class has an attached lounge and adjoining toilets.
The Gold Class (equivalent to the first class service in the airline), on the other hand, features an auditorium with an attached lounge and toilets.
Apart from the standard picture quality and state-of-the-art digital sound that forms the usual movie experience in normal GSC halls, the Gold Class hall offers an even better service that includes wide and comfortable reclining seats (with pillows and blankets in tow!) and a table for every 2 seats with a service call button.
GSC Gold Class
Gold Class is available at Signature Gardens, Pavillion KL, and 1 Utama (New Wing) while Premiere Class is available at Signature Gardens, Berjaya Time Square, and Gurney Plaza Penang.
Dolby Atmos
The revolutionary Dolby Atmos is the most significant development in cinema audio since surround sound, taking a unique layered approach to sound design. It redefines the cinema experience by offering content creators new ways to tell their stories. This sound platform preserves the director’s intent in each scene on what you hear in the theatre accurately to reflects the filmmaker’s vision and ensure an immersive movie experience possible.
Can’t really picture it? We’ll let the below video do the talking:
Dolby Atmos halls are now available at:
- GSC 1 Utama (New Wing) (Hall 3)
- GSC Pavilion KL (Hall 3)
- GSC Quill City Mall (Hall 1)
- GSC NU Sentral (Hall 3)
Movies that are slated to be released with inclusion of the necessary specification for this feature are such as “The Avengers: Age of Ultron” in May, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” in Feb, and “Insurgent” in March.
For more information on the upcoming Dolby Atmos movie releases in 2015, go here.
D-Box
As per its official tagline, “Your Movie in Motion”, the D-Box feature offers movie fans perfectly synchronised motions with the movie scenes. Imagine the scene of a fast seed car chase ala “Fast & Furious”. Done? Good. Now imagine a seat whereby you can feel vibrations and movements in sync as the car swerves to the right or to the left. Yes, that’s basically what D-Box does! The D-Box seats provides movements and vibrations, shifts you up and down, right or left, or even front and back. These special seats will be activated with each paid D-Box movie ticket and customers can control the intensity of the movements from high, medium, low, to off.
The Dolby Atmos hall at GSC 1 Utama also comes equipped with the D-Box motion seats. Talk about taking a cinematic experience to another level and moving you beyond words.
4. Cathay Cineplexes
Cathay Cineplexes Damansara opened its doors to the public on 27 May 2006. It originally offered 10 screens within an entertainment-themed mall for the ultimate movie/shopping experience. On 22 May 2008 2 additional halls, dubbed as the Platinum Suites were launched. Each suite comes with individual electronically controlled reclinable suede-leather seats, and is connected by an exclusive lounge complete with WiFi, videogame consoles and massage chairs. On 22 November 2012, the cinema which is now currently known as Cathay Cineplex, e@Curve Damansara, introduced an additional 4 new halls, bringing the total number of halls at the location to 16, and its overall seating capacity to 2,472.
Platinum Movie Suites
Cathay Cineplexes Damansara’s Platinum Movie Suites are perhaps its pride and joy, designed to offer a first class moviegoing experience. Similar to GSC’s Gold Class theatres, the seats are positioned in pairs, resemble large and comfortable armchairs that can be reclined up to 140 degrees of pure comfort. The seats also offer extra leg space and a table attached to every 2 seats. Additionally there’s also a personalised butler service as there’s a service call button located on your seat. The only difference is that privacy and exclusivity of the Platinum Movie Suites is that is houses ample of space between seats, with a minimum of 16 – 30 seats per hall.
The Platinum Movie Suites also have an attached lounge for the exclusive usage of Platinum Suite patrons. The lounge offers facilities such as Ogawa massage chairs, an Xbox gaming station, and a magazine corner. Patrons will also be treated to a complimentary beverage.
*Pictures from Cathay Cineplexes Damansara’s Facebook page.
Psst. We hear that you can even book it as the ultimate venue for you to host your most decadent and glamorous events!
Tickets can be purchased at RM25 during non-peak periods and RM40 during peak periods.
5. CGV
About 2 weeks ago, we wrote about South Korea’s CJ CGV (the largest multiplex cinema chain in South Korea) and their plan on opening up their first Malaysian outlet. So this is not so much an existing Malaysian cinema but perhaps a soon-to-come one. CJ CGV’s chain includes 85 sites, 681 screens, and 100 thousand seats in Korea. In 2013, CGV’s 106 theatres and 833 screens in South Korea accounted for 101 million tickets (worth a gross of USD751 million) of the record-breaking 213 million admissions sold nationwide. Currently, the cinema chain has branches in places around the world including Los Angeles and China. Recently, our source indicated that CJ CGV now has eyes on Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia – all fast-growing economies in underscreened markets. Yes, Malaysia. Let’s take a look at some of their exciting features.
Sweetbox
Oh so suh-weet! These are basically your couple seats made even more private. For a more intimate experience, the exclusive Sweetbox seats that feature a double sofa coloured conveniently in red. Typically located in the last row of the theatre, the tickets don’t cost much more and also provide more opportunities to snuggle up with that special someone. Best of all, there’s no annoying drink holder in the middle to mess up the timing on your expert moves. The very spacious seating can also be a nice alternative for those of you who want more space for yourself, but you’d also be the target of a lot of bizarre or sympathetic looks from other couples.
There is also a sweetbox premium option that provides luxurious leather sofas as well as pillows and cushions for a highly enjoyable experience at the theaters. This option makes those inevitable lulls in the movie much more tolerable as well. (Source)
4DX
Watching movies in 3D is great, but some people believe that actually experiencing what the character does in the movie is beyond extreme. In Seoul, South Korea, movies in 4D is possible – or rather, made possible with an interesting technology called 4DX. 4DX is a technology that allows its viewers to actually feel the strong wind or smell the different odours in the movie. The feature also fills the screening hall with different special effects like wind, different scents, vibrations, moving chairs, and water to let their viewers experience what is happening in the movie.
Watch the demo video here:
Doesn’t it seriously sound like being in some sort of an amusement park ride all at the same time? It’s not going to be something that you’d forget anytime soon, that’s for sure.
Private Room
Located on the 11th and 12th floors of CGV Chungdam, this highly private space seats 24 and is accompanied by a very luxurious interior complete with couches, tables, and bookshelves to give it that sense of elegance. The Private Cinema is perfect for that exclusive party or event, and the red carpet is rolled out before you as soon as you step out of the elevator and admire the decor. Spending time here feels like owning your own penthouse, as the brilliant wood flooring and well placed lighting reek of regality. (Source)
Starium
Starium is perhaps one of the most striking aspect of CJ CGV because of its massive screen. In fact, the word “big” is not enough to describe the one at the Yeongdeungpo CGV multiplex in western Seoul, said to be one of the world’s largest movie screen, measuring 31.4 meters (103 feet) in width and 13 meters in height, occupying 407.9 square meters (4,390 square feet). One of the most striking aspects of the Starium theater is its powerful sound system. For the best sound, it uses an 11.2-channel stereoscopic system, which it claims provides uniform distribution of sound in every part of the theatre.
Some moviegoers who have watched a film there have even said the acoustics are similar to what you’d find at an opera house. The Starium boasts 50 speakers, more than double the number that regular theaters often use. The speakers are actually the same ones found in concert halls. They are spread out over a long line, and each speaker can be adjusted manually in order to balance the sound across the theatre. (Source)
There’s no knowing for sure which one of the above CJ CGV features will come with the opening of the first CJ CGV outlet in Malaysia, but we sure hope that we’ll get to experience all of ‘em!
So, you ready to take your moviegoing experience to the next level with some of the above awesome features? Do you know of any other Malaysian cinema features that belong in our list? Let us know in the comments box below!