I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that we live in a world of excess. If ya have too much money, there’s probably somewhere to spend it all. But sometimes I forget that, and I need a reminder that in this world there are plenty of people more fortunate than I when it comes to the cha-chings. Perhaps no reminder lives more freshly in my mind than GSC‘s over-the-top balls-to-the-wall cinematic experience, the Aurum Theatre.
I wrote about this in the past when we first saw Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) share their idea of what next-level movie-watching was going to look like. I was baffled, bewildered, but also could not wait to give this thing a shot. I mean, sometimes you just have to experience how the other half of the world lives.
Then, I saw this tweet by user @LeAlterEgo which shocked me back into perspective:
Yes, apparently one ticket for a screening at GSC’s new ultra-luxe Aurum Theatre is RM150. And if you had any doubts, you can actually head to the GSC website and see for yourself. Now, this theatre is currently only operational in The Mall, Mid Valley Southkey in Johor Bahru, so you’ll have to travel some distance to experience this for yourself, if you’re living in KL. That said, according to a report by Malay Mail, GSC plans to open another Aurum Theatre right here in The Gardens Mall which will consist of seven halls.
OK, but RM150 is a lot of money
Yeah, it is. I’d go as far to say that it’s a borderline absurd amount of money to drop on a movie ticket. That being said, the experience you get is a little bit different. For starters, with every purchase to the Aurum Theatre, you’ll also receive something called an Aurum Pass. With this, you’ll get access to a wide range of services like food being delivered directly to your seat (no more smuggling it in your backpack), as well as a selection of wine and cocktails including something called a “Gintonica”.
The food will be served by Jin Gastrobar, which sounds like a high-end fine-dining restaurant in the Aurum Theatre, and you can actually inform your host beforehand or during the movie, of what you’d like to have. Then, the food will be delivered right to your seat.
Speaking of seat, the “seats” in GSC’s Aurum Theatre aren’t your regular fold up chairs. They’re what the company calls “luxury recliners”, and what I mistakenly called beds in a previous article. These recliners are developed with Getha and come in pairs that are called the Getha Lux Suites. The recliners use 100% natural latex foam cushioning with matching pillows and an array of useful stuff like wireless USB chargers as well as a fleecy blanket. Whether you can keep the blanket after you’re done with your movie is still up in the air.
There’s also a button that you can press to call for service in case you suddenly feel peckish halfway through your screening.
So yes, it’s a unique experience, but…
Even if we do put the price aside, and just accept that that’s how much things are going to cost, I do see a couple of issues. I raised the concern about hygiene in the previous post, and with the introduction of all this actual food going to each person’s seat, I’m all the more worried about it. Plus, when I’m paying top dollar for a screening, I don’t always want the hall to smell like someone’s dinner, nor would I want to see people walking around in front of me throughout the movie.
Besides that, I also foresee issues with people who want this experience alone. With the way these are set up, it obviously is designed for people to watch in pairs, but what if someone wants to experience this alone? I can’t imagine it’d be ideal.
But maybe I’m just “nitpicking and biased“, you can be the judge of that. And, even after seeing the exorbitant price tag for access into this upper echelon of cinema, I am still totally down to give this a try. Now, let me just cut back on 15 months worth of Starbucks so I can give this thing a go.
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