The cheapest cinema in Singapore you never knew

Relax. I won’t expose you.

We all like a good cinema where we can lean back into plushy chairs, wrap your arm around your girlfriend’s shoulder, feel her cheek leaning against your shoulder, as you watch the heartwarming finale of good vs evil, and Iron Man, once again destroying Thanos.

Ah, there’s no better place than a nice cinema for that.

If you’re here looking for the cheapest cinema tickets, you will quickly realise that the prices don’t differ much. They might be 50 cents cheaper, here and there, but nothing that will hurt the pocket terribly.

Discounts only make sense if you’re a movie fan

If you look at the prices below, they don’t differ much.

Unless you’re a regular movie buff, and watch one movie a fortnight.

But if you take the price of a Shaw weekend ticket of $14.50, that’s $377 per year. Gulp.

It might then make sense for you to start thinking about how you might want to save money on movie tickets.

Here’s how to think about saving money on those movie tickets.

Factor in the cost of transport for the movie

Many of us get enamored with the 50 cents we will save by watching a movie at The Projector, rather than the Shaw near your home, but then forget that the transport there and back will already cost you $3.

If you’re located near a mall requiring no public transport, it’s best to ask if your friends would like to watch it there.

That will automatically be a discount, because you don’t have to spend on transport.

That’s why I say that it doesn’t really matter where you watch the movie, because the cost of transport would offset the discounts you will get.

And honestly, it’s not worth fussing about the 50 cents you will save here and there. There may be better ways to save, especially with higher ticket (like your newest phone), higher velocity items (like your groceries or the coffee you buy).

But wait, why bother with the cinema if there’s Netflix?

After all, why do we like movies in cinemas, when there’s the convenient Netflix movie that you don’t have to even move your ass to see?

Firstly, because the magic in a cinema just can’t be replicated at home. In cinemas, there’s a beautiful mix of strangers laughing together and interacting with a movie, the large screen, and the effort it takes to go and appreciate art.

It’s like how you wouldn’t appreciate a Picasso, however many millions it has cost you, if you could sit in your underwear and see it in your living room everyday.

I think movies are much the same.

Taking the effort to go out and watch them does make us appreciate it more.

It’s like how the longer you queue for your favourite char kway teow, the nicer it seems.

Secondly, because they transport us into far away places and provide a unique mix of light, sound, and word, that can’t be found in a book, or an exhibition.

They also fuel your imagination, especially if you’re working in a creative field. Julia Cameron, in her book ‘The Artist’s Way’, talks about how creatives need to regularly fill up their tank, by not creating, and instead choosing to consume.

Consuming movies can be a great way.

Lastly, movies can be a great way to see the rest of the world.

Forget blockbusters made in Hollywood. If you go to places like The Projector, which hosts events like the European Film Festival, you get to watch great slice of life depictions of other places.

Figure out if you’ve quick and easy promotions to get

First figure out if there are any easily qualifiable promotions.

1. Senior citizen (above 55)

For example, if you’re a male, and have entered National Service, you would probably have the SAFRA card. You better get it if you haven’t too!

Then figure out if you can watch that ‘hot’ movie between Monday and Thursday

Sure, you want bragging rights to answering with confidence that the post-credit scene in the Guardians of the Galaxy’s 3rd instalment is not worth watching, but how much is that worth?

There’s a great difference between prices on peak periods, compared to non-peak.

If you want to keep your movie addiction going, it might just be worth watching it on a Monday, to keep those Monday blues away.

If you like independent movies

If you love independent movies, you might find The Projector just the place.

Walk into their theatre, and there’s a real etiquette you have to follow. Ever hated those people who pull out their phones and start texting their friends mid-movie, disrupting your experience?

The Projector would screen you a video of why you shouldn’t do that.

And they threaten to dump that horrid movie neighbour you have too, out.

I haven’t seen that happen yet. But with that expectation set from the start, it makes the movie experience much better.

You might want to consider getting their Fan Club package.

You get:

1. 4 free tickets (worth about $13×4, or $52)
2. $2 off normal tickets
   
   1. This thus makes sense if you watch more than 13 movies a year. If you watch 9 more movies, and save that $2 per movie, you would have covered your costs.

It’s been the best movie membership I’ve gotten.

It also might be the cheapest. Just look.

You get a cheaper $13 seat, or $12 if you don’t mind lying on a beanbag, situated on the hard ground.

I know where I will be.

You could come join me.