GEORGE TOWN: Paul Elliott's family and friends cheered with glee after being the first few to enter the screening hall following the reopening of cinemas on Dec 16.
The 43-year-old business consultant and his group of nine had bought their movie tickets, popcorns and soda to watch the premiere screening of "Wonder Woman 1984", which is the only movie screened for the time being.
He said they wanted to relive the moments of watching a movie on the big screen after over a month of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
They have been looking forward to watching some other movies such as "Top Gun: Maverick", but the movies' premiere screening were postponed.
"It is definitely great to see that the cinemas here have reopened and we definitely would want to come here more often," Elliot told Bernama before entering the screening hall at Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC),Gurney Plaza here.
Before entering the screening hall, Elliott and every other movie-goer had to line up to have their body temperature checked and the MySejahtera contact tracing app scanned.
GSC PR and branding manager, Sharmine Ishak said these were part of the cinemas' standard operating procedure (SOP) set by the National Security Council.
He also said that patrons were also required to sit one seat apart from each other in the hall, as a requirement of social distancing.
"Additionally, we will also be cleaning and sanitising our cinemas after every showtime , as well as regularly throughout the day.
"This will include common touch points such as the e-kiosks, concession counters, hand railings, lift buttons and escalator handles, among others," he added. -- Bernama