ALLOW cinemas to reopen to fully vaccinated individuals as the industry has suffered more than RM600 million in losses over the past year due to closures, the Malaysian Association of Film Exhibitors (MAFE) said today.

It said that since dine-in and activities without physical contact are now permitted for fully vaccinated individuals in areas under phase 1 of the National Recovery Plan, the same provision should be made for cinemas.

“Cinemas are now in a dire situation, the livelihoods of more than 20,000 Malaysians in the film and cinema workforce are on the line, as exhibitors remain closed with no alternative source of income, or financial or monetary support from the government,” it said in a statement.

MAFE said the industry had to make difficult decisions such as pay cuts and downsizing their operation to stay afloat.

The closure of MBO cinemas, the third largest cinema operator in the country late last year, was an indicator that they can no longer afford to remain closed, said MAFE.

“Over 25% of cinema screens all over Malaysia have now been permanently shuttered due to the long-term closures and this number is expected to increase if exhibitors are not allowed to reopen.”

It said that over 80% of audiences in an online survey with 10,000 respondents had expressed that going to the cinema helped reduce stress and anxiety.

“Cinemas provide vaccinated audiences a safe, therapeutic and affordable escape for Malaysians who have spent more than a year in lockdown and whose mental health and emotional well-being are on a decline.”

It added that cinemas have imposed strict standard operating procedure (SOP) and to date, no infections have been traced back to them.

“We are confident that it is safe to allow fully vaccinated audiences to come back to the cinemas, so that we can begin the recovery of the mental drain that is afflicting Malaysians nationwide.”

Other than allowing only fully vaccinated individuals into the cinema, MAFE said it will encourage contactless purchase to its customers, having all its staff fully vaccinated and ensuring that the workers wear personal protective gear such as face shields and two masks.

“With these enhanced SOP, all cinemas in Malaysia are prepared and ready to welcome audiences back to a safer and more secure movie-watching experience.”

Cinemas were allowed to operate briefly in March this year, before a spike in Covid-19 cases saw the government implement a third lockdown on June 1. It has not been allowed to operate since then. – September 1, 2021.