Good news for Kuala Terengganu-area residents who still haven’t seen Deadpool 2: The newly elected PAS government (the conservative Islamist party) has confirmed that they will not close the city’s only cinema.
Kuala Terengganu is the largest city in the eastern state of Terengganu, with nearly 500,000 residents. One of only two movie theaters in the entire state, the complex had only been open for 15 months.
Last year, the Lotus Five Star Cinema complex, located in the city-center, faced local government criticism from assemblyman Ariffin Deraman.
However, Ariffin, who is also the state tourism chief, is now saying that his statements were taken out of context.
At the time, he says that media coverage implied that he wanted the cinemas to close, when in actuality what he meant was that he wanted screening times to be reviewed.
In March 2017, Ariffin was widely quoted by many news sources as saying that local cinemas had closed 22 years ago (Jerry Maguire?), and that he worried that their re-opening would contribute to social problems among the youth.
He also questioned whether the cinemas should have separate sections for men and women, and whether the screening rooms should be brightly lit.
Presumably, the glaring lights are intended to put the kibosh on any seamy activities that could happen during the screening of yet another superhero movie, whilst also making the whole experience physically uncomfortable to watch.
Ariffin now says that as long as showtimes do not conflict with evening prayers, especially during Ramadan, or screen past 1am, the cinemas are no issue, adding “I will personally go and watch a movie there.”
Sounds good. Let’s get down to the grassroots issues now: What’s your policy on bringing in outside food?
Reader Interactions