ARTICLE
The new Shaw Theatres Balestier has the most number of premium halls in Singapore!
By InCinemas / 24 Mar 2023 (Friday)
Shaw Theatres Balestier will officially open its doors on 30 March!
Boasting a total of 11 halls, the newly renovated Shaw Theatres Balestier will also feature the most number of premium halls at a single venue in Singapore! It has six regular halls, four Lumiere halls and one Dreamers hall that will open at a later date.
Mr. Mark Shaw, Director of Shaw Organisation Group of Companies, said:
We introduced Dreamers to cater to families with young children and Lumiere to those looking for more premium and comfort at Shaw Theatres Jewel in 2019. Both were immediately popular with our patrons. When the time came for Shaw Theatres Balestier to undergo a complete makeover, we recognised the need to introduce more of these two concepts into the cineplex.
Paying tribute to a heritage district
When Shaw Theatres Balestier closed along with the mall Shaw Plaza for a complete rebuild in August 2019, it presented a unique opportunity to pay tribute to the heritage district that it is located in.
Shaw Theatres has a strong sense of presence in Balestier. In the 1940s, the Shaw Brothers’ Jalan Ampas Studio was set up, and produced many popular and critically acclaimed Malay films. It launched the careers of many legendary Malay film stars and was a major contributor to the Golden Age of Malay Cinema. Shaw Theatres had owned Hoover Theatre in the 1960s at the same address too. It was a 900-seater and operated as a “first-run” cinema which meant that it released the latest films. It was retrofitted into a live entertainment venue in 1983 and reinstated back into a cinema (Hoover Cinema) in 1992. The cinema, Shaw Plaza and the neighbouring President Theatre made way for a development called Shaw Plaza-Twin Heights in 1996, comprising a luxury condominium, shopping centre and six-screen Shaw Theatres Balestier.
Mr. Mark Shaw commented:
We have a strong relationship and association with the Balestier neighbourhood, so we took inspiration from elements of its heritage and culture such as the industrial background, the old shophouses and the diverse architectural buildings.
Apart from what you will typically expect of a cineplex, we are bringing lifestyle into our overall cinema offering to our patrons.
The result is an interior design concept that you would not have expected of a cineplex. The cinema corridor where you access the halls is reminiscence of a car-free street with trendy cafes and niche lifestyle shops. You see grilles, red bricks and particle boards carefully assembled like the interior of a modern retro style home.
Dreamers and Lumiere
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Dreamers is a more conducive movie-going environment created for children – with reduced volume; soft lighting inside the halls so the little ones can see where they are going; lowered contrast between projection and ambient light; with all patrons primed to expect babies and running toddlers; and kids and family friendly movies throughout the year. The Dreamers at Shaw Theatres Jewel has colourful seats and an open play space at the front of the hall for the kids. The Dreamers at Shaw Balestier has been re-imagined with a different design with more play space. More details will be shared at a later date.
Lumiere will continue to feature the luxurious Figueras seating and the latest DTS:X sound system, with new overhead speakers to provide an all rounded soundscape. Figueras seats are roomy and can be reclined by 42 degrees. They also come with ergonomically shaped backrest cushion, a generously sized turntable and USB charging ports. It offers a much more intimate movie-watching environment, and the armrest can be folded up for the twin seats to form love seats.
We can't wait to check out it all out!
(Photo Credits: Shaw Theatres Pte. Ltd)