Watching a movie in the cinema has its own set of rules, which are clearly presented before the start of the film. On top of keeping your seat tidy, any sort of recording of any sort is strictly prohibited, and if caught, perpetrators may be charged under Section 43A(1) of the Copyright Act 1987.
Recently, a Malaysian man shared his frustrations on Threads about being reprimanded by staff for attempting to record the post-credit scene of a movie. Rather than gaining sympathy, all he got was a cutting response from both netizens and GSC itself.
The incident involving the man, only known by his alias @/jackliew0829, transpired when he wanted to film the end credits of “Fantastic Four: First Steps” at GSC Wangsa Maju. He claimed that the cinema staff had approached him with a bad attitude and had warned him harshly for his actions. “I told him that I did not record anything yet. He checked my phone and saw that nothing was recorded, but did not even apologise. He just said, ‘If I catch you next time, you’d better be careful'”.
The complaint elicited a stern response from GSC, which reads, “Record Record Record, Record for what?”. Netizens were quick to agree with GSC’s statement, with user @/tanyw2706 commenting, “When many movies aren’t released in Malaysia, everyone will know who’s responsible”. A Thread user also pointed out that this wasn’t this man’s first time filming in the cinema illegally, with user @/mrtanwatchingfilms linking a past post from Jack, which looks like a part of “Deadpool & Wolverine”.
This poses as a serious offence under the Copyright Act in Malaysia, and perpetrators may find themselves facing a fine of up to RM100,000, jail for up to 5 years, or both, should they be caught.
Sources: Threads
Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article
