Director and author of “Gantung: Musketeer Code”, Nadia Khan, recently criticised Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) and TGV Cinemas after learning that the former would be pulling the film from cinemas, reportedly due to low audience turnout. She argued that the premiere date and screening times were poorly scheduled, making it difficult for Malaysian audiences to attend.
GSC has yet to provide an explanation, and it appears they may need to offer another soon. An actress recently took to social media to question the company after learning that a film she starred in would also be pulled from cinemas. Here’s what happened:
Earlier this week, actress Sofia Jane took to both Instagram and Twitter to speak about “Mencari Ramlee”, the film in which she stars alongside Tony Eusoff and Mimi Lana, and GSC’s screening schedule. She revealed that she and the rest of the team involved in the project had been informed that the film would be withdrawn from GSC outlets due to low audience turnout. However, she questioned the reasoning behind the chosen screening times and called for an explanation.
“My question is, why are the time selections that make it impossible for some to catch it? If you decide to just have one time slot, why can’t you dedicate a decent time that you know can be accessible? Till today, after years in this industry, I still can’t get a decent answer,” she wrote in her posts. She added that, while she understands how business works, she struggled to make sense of the decision, particularly if GSC genuinely wants local cinema to thrive.
“I’m not asking for ‘Mencari Ramlee’ alone, but for all the others that are coming your way. We both know why the industry is slow in filling bums in seats. But it doesn’t help having a time slot that makes it hard for the few who want to watch it,” the 53-year-old elaborated. Shortly after her post went viral, filmmaker Nadia Khan responded, stating that she is still awaiting a reply from GSC regarding her own enquiries about the screening of her film “Gantung: Musketeer Code”.
Both public figures concluded that cinemas, particularly when it comes to local films, may no longer be what they once were. Netizens remain divided, with some criticising GSC for failing to prioritise local productions, while others argue that the cinema chain should not bear all the blame, pointing instead to the film’s lack of promotion.
What are your thoughts on this issue? Is GSC truly to be blamed for the lack of views, or is this a case of a lack of promotion from the film’s marketing team?
Read Sofia Jane’s full IG post below:
