Great view of Kuching City from Star Cineplex view point terrace including the new DUN building.
Pose with your favourite character or buy a cinema seat as a memorabilia starting this Sunday. sale on April 3, 10, 17 and 24 at Star Cineplex Kuching.
Movie posters for sale too.
This hallway decked with movie posters will soon be just a memory.
Nikander Kondiono @ Asang
Jong Hui Jee
Cynthia Chin
KUCHING: Star Cineplex Kuching cinema goers who have fond memories at the cineplex can take home a piece of memory with them starting this Sunday — at Star Cineplex Nostalgic Memories Sunday Market Sale (from 1pm-4pm) for four Sundays this April.
Hock Star Entertainment Industry Berhad executive director Wong Kai Lim said this was part of the activity held for the cinema’s last month in operation, apart from movie screenings.
“We will be having this sale on April 3, 10, 17 and 24, and we are selling souvenir items like uniform, cap, movie posters and even cinema chairs. We actually got a request for the cinema chairs, for those who have a favourite seat when they come to watch movies here,” he told a press conference at the cinema yesterday.
“We never thought that anyone would want to buy our cinema seats, and so we decide to sell it at RM30 each. They will pay first then they go into the hall and pick the seat they want. We have our man to dismantle it for them. It is on a cash-and-carry basis,” he said.
He said that they are only selling the seats in one cinema hall while the other four will still be screening movies.
He added that the items sold each Sunday may be different as they are still in the process of moving things out of the store.
Prices start from RM1 and children who come will get free souvenirs.
He said that those who purchase any item will get a ‘thank you’ envelope containing three or four frames of 35mm movie film.
“I am thankful and grateful that Kuching people and the public who have fond memories at Star Cineplex came by to take photos over these past few days.”
Star Cineplex has been in operation for the past 19 years and decided to close down due to lack of crowd as movie goers prefer major and better cinemas, he said.
Another reason is that the cinema is old and with the little market share could not even cover running costs, he said.
Being an icon and the oldest running cinema, many were sad that it is closing, including avid movie goer Jong Hui Jee, 32.
Jong has been going to the cinema at least twice a week for the past 19 years and has kept all the movie stubs, over 200 of them.
“I started going for movies in form one and it is nearby from SMK Kuching High and home. I kept my pocket money given by my father just so I could watch movies especially on Movie Day which is only RM5 per ticket,” she said when met at the cinema.
“How I accumulate that many movie stubs alone is that I can watch one movie a few times, especially romantic comedies. I feel very sad that the cinema will close down soon.”
She said that she loves Star Cineplex so much that she even came and work there as an accounts assistant.
“My fondest memory is going for movie marathons, like three movies in a row especially during Chinese New Year,” she said.
Unfortunately, she did not have a photo of her movie stub collection on hand.
For Cynthia Chin, 42, WWF-Malaysia community engagement and education manager, her fondest memory at Star Cineplex was going there to watch ‘Lord of the Rings’ 14 times.
She has read the books and initially did not want to watch the movie even though her uncle gave her a charity ticket.
“I remember I didn’t want to go because I was afraid Peter Jackson (movie director) would not hold true to the book because I love the books.
“I ended up going back to pick up specific details of dialogue and character representation, just to see which part came from which chapter of the books. But that was the time when my grandmother was ill and I found solace in Tolkien’s books and Jackson’s interpretation of it. At the time, Star Cineplex was probably the most advanced movie place in town.”
Sadly, the cinema went downhill over the years due to bigger and better theatres popping up and movie-going today was much more part of the retail and shopping experience compared to back then, she said.
“Back then, all we did was go for the movie and maybe dinner after.”
For a patient relations consultant, Indonesian Nikander Kondiono @ Asang, 33, Star Cineplex is full of good memories of when he first came to Kuching.
It was the first cinema he went to in Kuching and where he had his first movie date with his current girlfriend eight years ago.
“It’s a super memorable place for me. I like the mini dome where we can have our voice echo on the walk towards the other lift and toilets.
“I watched many good movie and box office movies there too.”
He explained that the dome is the ceiling inside the small hall on the way to the toilets and lifts.
He can catch his favourite view of the Astana area while standing at the view point terrace.
He plans to go memorabilia hunting this Sunday at Star Cineplex Nostalgic Memories Sunday Market Sale with friends.