Movie enthusiasts take to cinemas and movie rentals

The ticketing desk of a cinema in Seria, Belait district. Movie buffs have taken to cinemas and movie rentals following the clamp down on pirated movies in Brunei over a year ago. BT file

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

MORE than a year has passed since the banning of pirated DVDs and VCDs in the Sultanate. People have since resorted to frequenting the cinema for their dose of films and to indulge in a good movie when they need a quick escape from their day-to-day routines.

Movie rentals are also becoming a trend here with original DVDs going for as low as $2.

“There seems to be an increase in people renting movies now especially during the weekends and school holidays. People rent a combination of movies that is really dependant on individual preferences. Some prefer comedy and others go for action,” said a supervisor from Movies4u, a movie rental shop located in Mabohai.

Action-packed movies appear to be a favourite among movie buffs in Brunei.

Iron Man 3 topped the charts as most saleable blockbuster for 2013, according to two cinemas located in the capital.

Other movies featured in the top five included Fast and Furious 6, Thor 2, Man of Steel and GI Joe.

One cinema ranked Despicable Me 2 as the third popular movie of the year, after Fast and Furious 6 and Iron Man 3.

However, not all movie enthusiasts are fans of blockbuster movies.

Local blogger Rano Iskandar named Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron as his best movie of the year.

“It’s very rare for a movie that can catch my attention with only two cast members and keep me on the edge of my seat.

“There’s more to movies than just action or set pieces,” he told The Brunei Times.

Another moviegoer, Siti Don, said she makes it a point to go to the cinema once a week during Oscar season or summer blockbuster season.

“My most favourite movie for the year would have to be Man Of Steel. It was an excellent revamp of theSuperman movies,” she said.

She added that ambience played an important part in her cinema experience as she prefers to be comfortable when watching a good movie.

The Brunei Times