Filmgarde Cineplexes closes down in Leisure Park Kallang, last day was 23 March
UPDATE (25 March, 9.37am): Filmgarde bade farewell to cinemagoers in a Facebook post, saying it had dimmed its screens “for now” to “embark on a new chapter of development and adventure”.
Hinting at some sort of return in future, it told Singapore to “watch this space”, adding: “We will see you again.”
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Filmgarde Cineplexes, which once operated three outlets across Singapore, has exited the cinema business.
It has shut down its last cinema in Leisure Park Kallang.
Premises cordoned off & darkened after Filmgarde Cineplexes closes
When MS News visited the quiet mall near the National Stadium on Monday (24 March) afternoon, the cinema premises were darkened and cordoned off.
While the signs remained intact, its ticketing machines were turned off and the shelves were emptied of popcorn, snacks, and drinks.
The screens were also deactivated, with no more new movies being promoted.
No announcement on the closure was posted on Filmgarde’s social media accounts, with its last posts on Facebook and Instagram on 16 March.
A check on Filmgarde’s website showed that it was still accessible. However, under the list of movies was an error message saying, “Data not found”.
Source: Filmgarde Cineplexes
Filmgarde Cineplexes closes permanently, to be replaced by non-cinema
A staff member on the premises confirmed to MS News that the outlet had closed permanently.
Its last day of operations was on Sunday (23 March).
A handful of staff remained to clear the premises to make way for another tenant, which would not be a cinema, they said.
When asked whether Filmgarde was planning to open more outlets, they replied in the negative, directing us to the nearest cinemas in Paya Lebar, which are operated by Golden Village (GV) and Shaw.
MS News has reached out to Filmgarde for more information.
Filmgarde closed cinemas in Bugis & Tampines in 2022
Filmgarde’s closure in Kallang comes about three years after its outlets in Bugis+ and Century Square in Tampines shuttered in 2022.
In a press release at the time, Mr Sherman Ong, Filmgarde’s Head of Cinema Operations, said Singapore’s overall cinema attendance had been “on a general decline”, accelerated and exacerbated by the onset of Covid-19.
He also pointed to the surge in online streaming platforms, which has “fundamentally altered” content production and distribution models, as well as audience behaviour and media consumption patterns worldwide.
Thus, the company had decided to shift its investments to focus on “developing new areas of growth within the media industry”, he added.
Filmgarde was founded in Singapore in 2007
Filmgarde was founded in Singapore in 2007 amid bigger players like GV, Shaw, and Cathay, on the platform of supporting the local film industry and community.
Over the years, it became known for showcasing the work of independent filmmakers in Singapore, releasing some of their films exclusively.
Notably, Filmgarde Bugis+ was selected as the only Singapore venue to screen award-winning director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma”, an Oscar-winning film that was streamed on Netflix.
Cuaron himself attended the screening, his only visit to the Asia-Pacific for the movie.
Also read: Cathay Cineplexes West Mall in Bukit Batok closing on 20 Feb, leaving 5 outlets in S’pore
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Featured images from MS News.
