Page 216 - Proceedings Collega2023

Introduction

Cinema-viewing culture has vastly expanded and evolved into an array of newer approaches, with
the digitisation of the cinematic experience and the conception of online streaming services, the
experience of film viewing has changed. One of which, influenced by these evolutions, is the film
exhibition; easily be understood as the way an audience watches movies publicly and the business of
selling movies, this culture has seen the most changes in the industry. These days, there are a lot of ways
that one can watch a movie; either through the classic cineplex at your nearest shopping mall, or through
your favourite movie streaming platform. Both can give different experiences and impacts when watching
a movie to the viewer. Since the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic everywhere, online movie
streaming platforms have been everyone's favourite to watch their movie. Today, when the pandemic has
ended, while online movie streaming platforms are still popular, the cineplex space is still celebrated and
people still come to watch the latest release on the big screen.
Film consumption, on the other hand, is the way the audience watches a movie. This, like the film
exhibition, has also experienced some major changes. As we all know, the earliest way is by watching it on
a big screen. However, since the digital era introduced new technologies and conveniences, there have
been various ways of watching a movie besides going to the cinema, with some of them being through
television at home, and on portable devices and smartphones. Even to a certain extent, in-flight
entertainment systems have adapted this technology, allowing viewers with no internet connection
onboard to be able to watch movies on a long-haul journey.

This, however, does not discredit or belittle the classic cinema-viewing experience. Going to the
cinema has been the earliest way for the audience to consume a movie. It started with a building of its
own, equipped with seats and a ticket counter for the audience. Food stalls and other entertainment lots
surrounded the cinema building too. Moving on further, in the 1940s, the United States started the
cineplex and multiplex which is a building with multiple big screens showing movies and giving the
audience choice of what they want to watch (Kuhn & Westwell, 2012). Some parts of the multiplex or
cineplex, also provide other entertainment such as arcades, food stalls, and shops. The business model
became famous and spread all over the globe, including Malaysia.

Cinema-going culture has been an integral part of Malaysian entertainment for decades. Back in
the day, shops had their lots and buildings. Everything is not being put under one roof, but more to a
commercial centre in a town or city where everything is nearby. For example, a cinema building is located
along the street neighbouring with clothes and food shops. Rather than now, everything is put under one
roof. Even with the rise of streaming services and home theatres, cinemas have had to adapt to stay
relevant. It has been done by opening cineplex in shopping malls, equipped with services and
entertainment like food, shopping, and other activities and thus, creating a One Stop Centre (OSC) for
entertainment.

The Malaysian cinema-going culture has undergone significant threats in recent years, especially
with the rampant digitisation of the viewing culture and holistic entertainment approach. The emergence
of the One Stop Centre concept in shopping malls started in the 1970s, with the country’s first mall in
Ampang, called Ampang Park (Aida & Yusof, 2011). The concept of One Stop Centre aims to provide a

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