The name ‘Cathay Organisation’ is no stranger to many, especially for the avid moviegoers who seek to enjoy an immersive sound-surround movie experience in the cinemas.
Earlier this week, mm2 Asia Ltd. announced that the company has acquired two of Cathay cineplexes in Malaysia.
Cathay Organisation is a pioneer in Singapore’s movie industry since 1935. Apart from being a cinema operator, Cathay produces, distributes and has diversified into other businesses that includes property management services, retail malls, restaurant, etc.
Cathay Organisation opened the first air-conditioned cinema in 1938 to an audience of more than a thousand who watched the premiere of "The Four Feathers” at The Cathay Building. 80 years later, there are seven Cathay Cineplexes around Singapore equipped with advanced sound systems and up-to-date cinematic features.
Just last month, Cathay celebrated their 80th anniversary with a larger-than-life birthday bash held at The Cathay at Handy Road. International guests, local celebrities and over 100 movie mascots graced the red carpet at the invite-only event where the commemorative film ‘
Our Sister Mambo’ was screened later in the evening. Starring Moses Lim, Michelle Chong, Oon Shu An and Audrey Luo, the film was inspired by the Cathay classic, Our Sister Hedy, a 1957 Hong Kong production about a middle-class family with four unmarried daughters.
Apart from having cinema chains in Singapore and Malaysia, Cathay Organisation Organisation Singapore embarked on a joint venture with Dubai’s Emaar Malls Group to open Reel Cinemas at The Dubai Mall in 2009 featuring 22 screens with 3,000 seats, a ‘The Picturehouse’ cinema hall, and Platinum Movie Suites.
On 17 August, mm2 Asia Ltd. announced that the Company’s wholly-owned Malaysian subsidiary, MM2 Screen Management Sdn Bhd has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Cathay Cineplexes Sdn Bhd for the acquisition on two locations, namely Cathay Cineplex Damansara, located at e@Curve, in Petaling Jaya; and Cathay Cineplex City Square located at Johor Bahru City Square mall which holds 14 screens with 2,826 seats in total and is the largest multiplex outside the Klang Valley region.
The Cathay Cineplex Damansara was established in 2006 and holds 16 screens with 2,472 seats in total and is currently the largest multiplex in Petaling Jaya.
Headquartered in Singapore, mm2 Asia is a producer of movies and TV/online content, having produced hit movies such as the famed ‘Ah Boys to Men’ film series, dramatic-thriller 1965, and distributed titles such as Malaysia’s ‘The Journey’ and Taiwan’s ‘Café.Waiting.Love’.
In 2014, mm2 Asia made its debut on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX stock code: 41C), becoming the first Singapore movie production house to achieve this.
To reward its shareholders, mm2 rolled out the ‘mm2 Red Carpet Club’ where the programme aims to offers a variety of benefits such as exclusive events, special movie screenings and gala premiere invitations.
If you have not caught Cathay’s
‘Our Sister Mambo’, do check out the showtimes
here, as it ends its run this week, before heading to Malaysia thereafter.