Page 217 - Proceedings Collega2023

comprehensive entertainment experience for all types of cinema-goers by offering a range of services and
facilities under one roof. Typically, these centres come in the form of malls with an abundance of facilities,
be it entertainment, shopping and food. Jon Goss (1993) explained in his article why a shopping mall has
these facilities because among the intentions of building them are as a civic, spatial, and significant space
for visitors. This motivates the developers to create a space for the visitors to come and appeal to them,
looking as if it is public while being run privately and for profit. Spatial strategies have been implemented
in building the shopping mall so that the visitor will systematically explore the place according to how the
developer wants it.

In Malaysia, there are several major cinema chains like Golden Screen Cinemas, TGV Cinemas,
MBO Cinemas and Lotus Five Star, to name a few. Most of these cinema chains are in shopping malls and
they are equipped with screening and audio technologies that give a good experience for the audience.
The One Stop Centre concept that I want to propose in my dissertation has revolutionised the way
Malaysians consume movies, providing them with a more convenient and enjoyable experience. Malaysian
film exhibition has become more diverse and inclusive in this contemporary era, catering to a wider
audience. The One Stop Centre concept has played a crucial role in this transformation by creating an
environment that is welcoming to all.

Audiences can now come to cinemas not just for the movie experience but also for the
convenience and accessibility they offer. They provide parking for those who drive on their own and also
public transport stations that are very near to shopping malls. This caters for a much broader category of
individuals to come to a cineplex. With locations in malls and other popular areas, cinemas provide a
convenient option for those looking to catch a movie while also enjoying other activities. This shift towards
becoming a One Stop Centre (OSC) has allowed Malaysian film exhibitions to remain competitive in an
ever-changing entertainment landscape. By offering more than just movies, they can attract audiences
who are looking for a complete entertainment experience.

My dissertation argues that the cinema-going culture in contemporary Malaysia remains strong
through the concept of One Stop Centre, applied to almost everywhere in the Klang Valley, regardless if
online movie streaming platforms are available and an easier form of film consumption.

Later on, I will give a short overview of past studies regarding cinema-going and audiences in
Malaysia, and the questions and objectives of this dissertation. It can be seen that there is a lack of

research on the contemporary cinema-going culture of Malaysia since the recent research on the topic
was done in 2019 by Wang Changsong. I will also be looking at how the One Stop Centre (OSC) concept is
still relevant even though there are a lot of movie streaming platforms available.

Research on cinema-going culture and audiences in Malaysia has been done by academicians to
learn more about the local audience. One of them is by Wan Aida Wan Yahaya (2006), who studied the
local audience opinion on epic films, in her study is Puteri Gunung Ledang (2004). Hizral Tazzif Hisham
(2015) founds and suggests a Malaysian film industry ecosystem model to help uplift the industry and
suggests research on the correlation between audience behaviour and their income, usage of social media
to promote film from pre-production, production and post-production process to audience and high
budget films that fail on cinema.

International Conference on Local Wisdom of the Malay Archipelago (COLLEGA 2023) Page - 204 -