No longer just movies: Malaysian cinemas reinvent themselves for a new generation as audiences evolve

The cinema industry in Malaysia, led by GSC, has shifted towards offering more immersive and event-driven experiences to adapt to changing audience demands influenced by the rise of OTT platforms and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attendance remains 20% below pre-pandemic levels, prompting GSC to invest in premium experiences and diversify its offerings, including themed events and large-format screenings.

Despite facing operational challenges and increased competition from streaming services, GSC remains committed to enhancing the cinema experience to attract audiences, emphasizing the need for policy relief to support infrastructure investment and cinematic innovation.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 — Gone are the days of traditional cinema where it was just about watching movies as audiences today crave more exciting shared experiences.

This change, which can be considered a result of an eventful past six years that included the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms coupled with the Covid-19 Pandemic that almost crippled the cinema sector, has also reshaped how audiences view cinemas today.

According to GSC Chief Executive Officer Koh Mei Lee, while audience footfall has shown encouraging signs of recovery, attendance still lags behind pre-pandemic levels by roughly 20 per cent.

“Consumer behaviour has since evolved, with audiences becoming more discerning about entertainment experiences, showing greater demand for premium, immersive and event-driven experiences in cinemas,” Koh said.

GSC is currently Malaysia’s biggest cinema chain operator with a total of 505 screens across 53 locations nationwide, including four ultra-premium ‘Luxe’ locations under its flagship Aurum Theatre and Velvet Cinemas sub-brands.

In an interview with Malay Mail , Koh dived deeper into how they had to revisit the drawing board for their offerings to satisfy this new and growing demand along with other factors leading to it.

Expanding beyond traditional means

In response to the changing landscape of cinema, GSC has expanded its offerings beyond the screen, now shifting to more fan-centric events such as special screenings, concert films, and live viewing parties that come with interactive activities, and of course, freebies.

This can be seen through some of their recent events such as ScareFest 2026, which united horror film enthusiasts with special screenings past midnight, as well as the Football Final Live Viewing Party in conjunction with the recent Fifa World Cup Finals.

They have also introduced out-of-the-box events such as the 24-hour Spider-Man: Brand New Day Marathon, where they offered special showtime slots until 6am.

Their recent Winefest 2026, which focused on food, beverage and lifestyle enthusiasts also demonstrated the versatility of their cinema and dining spaces.

On top of that, GSC has also invested more in premium large-format screens such as IMAX, 4DX and ScreenX to meet current demand. The latest examples can be seen through the introduction of IMAX with Laser halls at GSC Paradigm in Johor as well as in IOI Mall Damansara.

“Audience preferences are constantly evolving, and we see that as an opportunity to redefine what the cinema experience can be.

“Audiences still love watching great movies on the big screen, but they’re also seeking additional social and memorable experiences.

“GSC connects storytelling, technology, lifestyle, community — uniting film, F&B, events and digital experiences all under one brand, and as such we have expanded beyond just traditional movie screenings,” Koh said.

She also said that these experiences actually complement movies even more instead of replacing them, adding that their goal is to keep pushing the boundaries of cinema by creating total entertainment experiences while preserving the magic of the big screens.

Koh pointed out that running a cinema chain is not an easy feat and more often than not, its challenges are often overlooked especially when it comes to operating costs.

She shared that operating cinemas involves high fixed overheads — such as technology maintenance, utilities, and staffing — making operational efficiency essential even as attendance lags behind pre-pandemic levels.

This is why policy relief has proven vital, as demonstrated by the government’s decision to reduce the Entertainment Duty in the Federal Territory from 25 per cent to 10 per cent in 2024, which will be in effect until December 2028.

“Box office revenue and cinema screens grew by three per cent and 30 per cent, respectively, contrasting with the broader national trend, which noted declines of 18 per cent in box office revenues and 32 per cent in the number of cinema screens,” she said.

Koh, who is also part of the local coalition Industry Unite, which is calling for the abolishment of the Entertainments Duty Act 1953, reiterated the importance of its abolishment for the future of the local cinema industry.

“The relief would enable cinema operators like GSC to continue investing in cinema infrastructure, particularly in modernising older locations and upgrading digital technologies across locations to meet the growing demand for premium large-format experiences.

“And also to strengthen the operational resilience of cinemas in an increasingly competitive entertainment landscape,” she said.

Koh also revealed that the growth of OTT or streaming platforms has changed audience behaviour when it comes to opting for cinemas as an entertainment option.

She said that audiences would reserve cinema visits only for major blockbuster and premium large-formats releases such as Obsession , Michael , Toy Story 5 , The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day .

“This makes it increasingly important for GSC to create experiences that cannot be replicated through home entertainment,” she said.

Despite the shifting landscape and veiled challenges, there are still some positive takeaways according to Koh, which include the growing appetite for cinema experiences that extend beyond the ‘movie-verse’.

“We have seen stronger interest in complementary experiences such as themed food and beverage offerings, limited-edition merchandise, fan-centric events, and community gatherings.

“These allow audiences to celebrate their favourite movies together with like-minded fans — creating shared moments and immersive experiences that can only truly come to life within the cinema,” she said.

Further supplementing this trend, GSC also offers movie-goers several incentives via their GSC Rewards membership programme and promotions that encourage repeat visits while rewarding movie-goers’ loyalty.

Koh also shared that admissions during the first half of 2025 benefited from a strong line-up of local and Hollywood releases, such as Ne Zha 2 , Blood Brothers , Ejen Ali 2 and Captain America: Brave New World .

While the release calendar this year has been more varied, they are expecting a better second half for 2026 with a strong lineup of upcoming blockbusters such as Dune: Part 3 and Avengers: Doomsday .

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受OTT平台兴起和COVID-19疫情影响，马来西亚电影业（以GSC为首）已转向提供更具沉浸感和事件驱动的体验，以适应不断变化的观众需求。

出席人数仍比疫情前水平低 20%，这促使 GSC 投资于高端体验并使其产品多样化，包括主题活动和大型放映。

尽管面临运营挑战和来自流媒体服务的日益激烈的竞争，GSC 仍然致力于提升影院体验以吸引观众，并强调需要政策支持以促进基础设施投资和电影创新。

吉隆坡，10月4日讯——如今，传统的电影院不再只是单纯地观看电影，观众渴望获得更激动人心的共享体验。

这一变化可以看作是过去六年多变的事件的结果，其中包括 OTT 平台的兴起以及几乎瘫痪电影院行业的 Covid-19 疫情，这也重塑了观众如今对电影院的看法。

据GSC首席执行官许美莉表示，虽然观众人数已显示出令人鼓舞的复苏迹象，但与疫情前的水平相比，出席人数仍落后约20%。

Koh表示：“消费者的行为已经发生了变化，观众对娱乐体验的要求越来越高，对电影院的高端、沉浸式和以活动为导向的体验表现出更大的需求。”

GSC 目前是马来西亚最大的连锁影院运营商，在全国 53 个地点拥有 505 个银幕，其中包括旗下旗舰 Aurum Theatre 和 Velvet Cinemas 子品牌的四个超高端“Luxe”影院。

在接受《马来邮报》采访时，Koh 深入探讨了他们如何重新审视产品和服务以满足这一不断增长的新需求，以及导致这一需求的其他因素。

超越传统手段

为了应对电影行业格局的变化，GSC 已将其服务扩展到银幕之外，现在转向以粉丝为中心的活动，例如特别放映、音乐会电影和现场观影派对，这些活动都包含互动环节，当然还有免费赠品。

从他们最近的一些活动中可以看出这一点，例如 ScareFest 2026，该活动将恐怖电影爱好者聚集在一起，举办了午夜后的特别放映；以及与最近的 FIFA 世界杯决赛同期举办的足球决赛现场观看派对。

他们还推出了一些别出心裁的活动，例如 24 小时蜘蛛侠：全新的一天马拉松，提供特别放映时段直至凌晨 6 点。

他们最近举办的 2026 年葡萄酒节，以美食、饮品和生活方式爱好者为主题，也展示了他们的电影院和餐饮空间的多功能性。

此外，为了满足当前市场需求，GSC还加大了对IMAX、4DX和ScreenX等高端巨幕影厅的投资。最新的例子包括柔佛州GSC Paradigm影院和白沙罗IOI购物中心推出的激光IMAX影厅。

“观众的喜好不断变化，我们认为这是一个重新定义电影体验的机会。”

“观众仍然喜欢在大银幕上观看精彩的电影，但他们也在寻求额外的社交和难忘的体验。

Koh表示：“GSC将故事讲述、科技、生活方式和社区联系起来，将电影、餐饮、活动和数字体验整合到一个品牌下，因此，我们的业务已经超越了传统的电影放映。”

她还表示，这些体验实际上是对电影的补充，而不是取代电影，并补充说，他们的目标是通过创造全面的娱乐体验来不断突破电影的界限，同时保留大银幕的魔力。

Koh指出，经营一家连锁影院并非易事，而且其面临的挑战往往被忽视，尤其是在运营成本方面。

她表示，经营电影院涉及高额的固定开支——例如技术维护、水电费和人员配备——因此，即使上座率低于疫情前的水平，运营效率也至关重要。

正因如此，政策减免显得至关重要，政府决定从 2024 年起将联邦直辖区的娱乐税从 25% 降至 10%，该政策将持续到 2028 年 12 月，就证明了这一点。

“票房收入和电影院银幕数量分别增长了3%和30%，这与全国整体趋势形成鲜明对比，全国票房收入下降了18%，电影院银幕数量下降了32%。”她说道。

Koh 也是当地联盟“产业团结”的成员，该联盟呼吁废除 1953 年娱乐税法。他重申了废除该法对当地电影业未来的重要性。

“这项纾困措施将使 GSC 等影院运营商能够继续投资影院基础设施，特别是对老旧影院进行现代化改造，并升级各影院的数字技术，以满足日益增长的高端大屏观影体验需求。

“同时，也是为了增强电影院在竞争日益激烈的娱乐环境中的运营韧性，”她说道。

Koh 还透露，OTT 或流媒体平台的发展改变了观众在选择电影院作为娱乐方式时的行为。

她表示，观众只会为了观看《迷情记》、《迈克尔》、《玩具总动员5》、《奥德赛》和《蜘蛛侠：全新的一天》等大片和高成本大片而走进电影院。

“这使得GSC越来越需要创造家庭娱乐无法复制的体验，”她说。

尽管形势不断变化，挑战也日益凸显，但 Koh 认为，仍然有一些积极的方面值得关注，其中包括人们对超越“电影宇宙”的电影体验的需求日益增长。

“我们看到人们对主题餐饮、限量版商品、粉丝活动和社区聚会等配套体验表现出了更浓厚的兴趣。

“这让观众能够与志同道合的影迷一起庆祝他们最喜欢的电影——创造出只有在电影院才能真正实现的共享时刻和沉浸式体验，”她说。

为了进一步强化这一趋势，GSC 还通过其 GSC Rewards 会员计划和促销活动为影迷提供多种奖励，鼓励他们再次光顾，同时奖励影迷的忠诚度。

Koh 还表示，2025 年上半年的入学人数受益于一系列强大的本地和好莱坞电影的上映，例如《哪吒之魔童降世 2》、《血兄弟》、《艾真阿里 2》和《美国队长：美丽新世界》。

虽然今年的上映日程更加多样化，但他们预计 2026 年下半年情况会更好，届时将有《沙丘：第三部》和《复仇者联盟：末日》等一系列重磅大片上映。

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