The Malaysian government has tightened restrictions during the CMCO in the affected states. In response, the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) has decided to temporarily close cinema operations in the country.
The association says that this is a collective move agreed on by the industry as a whole. And the decision was made in light of the aforementioned CMCO restrictions. The lack of new movie releases in the near future was also a factor that the association considered when coming to the decision.
On that note, GSC has announced that its cinemas will be closed from 2 November until the end of that month. TGV, on the other hand, will remain closed from 2 November until further notice.
MAFE also says that this temporary closure of Malaysian cinemas was also necessary for their long term preservation. The association also says that closing and reopening cinemas is extremely costly. The closure implies that keeping them open will cost more than just closing them for now.
This is naturally quite the blow for the local cinema industry. Just last week, the two biggest cinema chains announced the renting out of their big screens for gaming parties. This was no doubt a move to cope with the lack of upcoming films. The third largest chain, on the other hand, is reportedly facing liquidation.
(Source: GSC / Facebook, TGV / Facebook)
