Cathay ups ticket prices

Cathay it seems has decided to increase ticket price in lieu of increasing operation costs.

I don't really feel too disappointed or angry, maybe Im just numbed by all the price increases in almost everything; food, taxi fares etc. I will be really angry if this sparks an all out price increase by all the different cinema operators.

But I think I will try to go for the cheaper cinema whenever I can.

I quite like Cathay cinemas though, their seats are great, service decent and you can also choose your own seats from the screens at the counters. Their one stop entertainment concept is also good, you can go for lan/xbox/acarde gaming or kbox before popping into the theatre. They also tend to have a greater selection of movies, even the very obscure/indie films.

Cathay ups ticket prices By Asif Ansar, TODAY | Posted: 30 January 2008 0841 hrs

SINGAPORE : Expect to pay up to S$10.50 on a weekend to watch blockbusters such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince or The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Prices for tickets at all Cathay cineplexes will go up on Thursday, adding to the rash of recent price increases including taxi fares, electronic road pricing and cooking gas.

At a media conference on Tuesday, the cinema operator and film distributor said it was raising ticket prices for films by 50 cents or about 6 per cent due to "escalating prices in goods, services, labour, film rentals and the Goods and Services Tax".

What's more, an additional 50 cents will be tagged on for blockbusters such as Harry Potter and Iron Man.

"The rising costs we have seen over the recent years is something we cannot ignore," said Mr Suhaimi Rafdi, the chief executive of Cathay Organisation Holdings, which has four cineplexes here.

The company had been "struggling to make ends meet" and had to jack up prices to "remain profitable".

Without disclosing details, Mr Rafdi said that the company had made a loss in 2006 and was expecting a "small profit" for last year.

Mr Rafdi said that Cathay would categorise a movie as a blockbuster only if it has an "A-list cast and/or director, a big production budget of more than US$100 million (S$142 million), is a part of a successful franchise (like Spider-Man, Batman and Shrek)" and open on the same day in Singapore as in the United States.

Only around 20 out of the hundreds of films released here would qualify as a blockbuster this year, he said.

So, with Cathay raising its ticket prices, will other cinemas follow suit?

"It's yet to be seen. They would probably want to see if there are any repercussions because this is a bold move on our part," said Mr Rafdi.

When contacted by TODAY, Shaw Organisation, which operates seven cineplexes here, said it would not be following Cathay's lead. "There has been some increase in our cinema operation costs. However, Shaw has no plan to raise its movie ticket prices at this point," Shaw's executive vice-president Mark Shaw told TODAY.

The other major operator, Golden Village, did not respond to TODAY's queries by press time. Moviegoers TODAY spoke to were mixed on the ticket price hike.

"It wouldn't affect the number of movies I watch. Fifty cents is not that much to me," said editor Audrey Wong, 32, who goes to the cinema at least four times a month. "It's still relatively cheaper than going to cinema in Europe or the US."

Marketing manager Irwin Tham, 28, said the hike would not deter him from watching new releases. "watching a movie at the cinema is different from watching it on DVD."

But film student Annette Heitmann, 21, said current ticket prices were already expensive and student movie rates did not soften the blow.

"It's useless because the rates apply during the day, when students have classes.

The price hike will affect students' decisions to visit the cinema as we have other alternatives", such as watching the latest movies on the Internet. - TODAY/il

les

Good Job!

The trip to town yesterday was not bad. We were practically out the whole day. We were eating, shopping and eating throughout.

I must applauded John for a good job done in organising this trip, it was of course a tedious and troublesome process.

The usual people turned up, and the usual people failed to.

But nevermind.

Hope this Sunday sports will materialise.

And congratulations to all those ording in the chinese new year week. Freedom awaits you.

les

It's Monday!

I was watching the re run of "有福" on channel 8 yesterday, which I thought was a rather nice show. It was first telecasted in 2005 if I could remember when I was still in Jc2.

Speaking of jc, I had wanted to organise a bball session at nyjc. But sadly I was last minute arrowed to do duty. In the end, I found out from low that only 5 people went. This is far from the glorious days when we used to play 4v4 at hougang.

After reading yx's entry, it seems ny never really changed much. It will be cool to go back and relive the memories again.

I havent heard any offical words from John yet, regarding the zoo trip. It seems weird when John volunteers to organise when he himself always pushes the dirty troublesome part of organising to other people. Lol.

We shall see what happens this weekend.


les

The pasture is always greener on the other side?

I reached home at 1230am today, was an tiring day. I felt kind of hungry and decided to grab some food, western fried rice from the stall I usually patron.

As I walked towards the stall, a sudden flashback struck me. The memory of me, zy, ds having breakfast at the same coffeeshop appeared in my mind. Those were the great moments man (before enlistment), relaxed weekday morning, then go for a leisure swim followed by a hearty breakfast at the neighborhood coffeeshop. As you devoured your breakfast, sipping your teh peng, you watch people just walk by, and talking cock among ourselves. Very relaxed, there's no worries/stress clouding your mind, no sianness, no dread of the next day.

Strangely, I have went to the stall too many times after enlistment, and that memory only appeared that wee morning.

I often wondered, we are always talking about life after ord, more specifically for us, going back to school, about how happier we will be and so much more freedom we will have.

How you felt for those who orded? Happy? Relieved? 解脱？Or you just felt normal? Maybe it also depends on your experience in the 2 years and who you orded with. It defintely going to be more fun when you orded with one big group of people.

Will life in school be more interesting? Will we be still dragging our feet everyday we wake up? Or will it be the same . . . just that its in a different setting?

les

Overcrowding in MRT

I was taking the North-South line to town earlier in the afternoon. And one thing I discovered was that the MRT was crowded than usual. Even more crowded than the usual Sunday afternoon crowd.

Probably due to the escalating fuel prices and the increased taxi fares, everyone is now turning to the public transport.

All Im asking for is a little more comfort. I do not mind standing for the whole journey during peak hours, but at least dont pack me into the carriage like some sardines. And the buses frequency problem needs to be addressed. Whenever the frequency issue is brought up, the authority always gives some lame answer like "the road traffic is unpredictable" but strangely other services in foreign countries ran like clockwork (quoted form The Strait Time, which says that you can even set your watch based on the bus schedule) .

And I finally got to see for myself, an ERP gantry in the heartlands, at Toa Payoh. The gantry is still under construction, it should be ready for use within a month or two. LTA says that it would be used if traffic flow there worsens and it is part of their second outer ring of gantry to control traffic going into the CBD area.

I think they may as well build an ERP gantry outside each carpark in the heartland, and deduct money whenever citizens drive their car out of their HDB carpark.

les

The nightmare continues . . .

Woohoo, a brand new year, brand new calendar, brand new hope, brand new journey!

2008.

But for now, at least for me, the nightmare continues. A bomb just exploded right in my face, tomorrow i need to book in at 0430. And if i sleep now, right now, right at this moment, 2130pm, i probably get only 5.5 hours of sleep. Where's my 7 hours of undisturbed rest? For 7 hours of sleep, I probably need to sleep at 2000, but who can sleep so early and switch your biology clock in a snap?

The earliest i can go home, being optimistic of course, is 1600. And I will reach home at abt 1800, get settled down for dinner then proceeds to sleep again. The cycle continues. Wow.

Squeeze us dry and then throw us away.

Low welfare, high workload, that's the way to go. Truly efficient.

Will April come quickly?

104 days more to go.

les

* Anyway, this post is just one of those numerous rants throughout the 2 years. Well, all nsfs like to bitch about NS life.