Beyond the blockbuster: Ushering in a new season of Singapore’s alternative cinemas
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
(Clockwise from left) The interior of the Capitol Theatre, new indie cinema Filmhouse and Shaw Theatres Lido’s new Lumiere Grand Hall.
ST PHOTOS: BRIAN TEO, NG SOR LUAN, GAVIN FOO
SINGAPORE – After a 2025 that saw the collapse of indie cinema The Projector in August and Cathay Cineplexes in September, the start of 2026 seems to show that a recovery of sorts is happening.
Growth is happening in specific niches, but it is backed by a common idea – there are enough cinemas aimed at those seeking a quick movie fix close to home; Singaporeans will pay more, and travel farther, for something different.
Shaw Theatres, the largest of the three players The Straits Times spoke to, aims to transform half of its 80 halls into its higher-end Lumiere, Imax or Premiere formats, subject to regulatory approval. It recognises that patrons are willing to pay extra for privacy and comfort.
The operator replaced the Lido 1 hall at its flagship Shaw Lido cinema in Orchard Road with a Lumiere Grand hall on Feb 12.
In contrast, Filmhouse at Golden Mile Tower – which took over The Projector space and opened on Feb 3 – holds daily screenings at a retro venue built in 1973. It plans to strip away the distractions, such as managing its own restaurant and kitchen, so that it can focus on wooing its core audience of film lovers.
Capitol Theatre, unlike the other two players, will not hold daily screenings when it begins its schedule from Feb 22. Screenings will, in fact, be deliberately made scarce, so that each one becomes an event to remember, helped by the grandeur of a picture palace due to celebrate its 100th birthday in 2030.
The three operators recognise that movie houses do not exist just to sell stars, plot or spectacle. Consumers get that at home on big-screen televisions or their mobile phones on the MRT.
The word “experience” comes up frequently, as in Singaporeans do not just want to watch films; they desire the filmgoing experience. Shaw, Filmhouse and Capitol aim to deliver that experience in their own way.
In the wake of Cathay Cineplexes pulling out, several operators have taken over its remaining four outlets.
Golden Village occupies the cinemas at Century Square and Downtown East, while SAS Cineplex began operations at Causeway Point in January, screening mostly Indian films. No cinema operator has been announced for the space at 321 Clementi.
A closure notice seen at Cathay Cineplexes Causeway Point outlet on Sept 1.
PHOTO: ROSALIND ANG
The Singapore Film Society (SFS) opened SFS Somerset in January in the hall at Golden Village Cineleisure formerly used by The Projector, aiming to give a home to Singapore films and independent works affected by the closure of the indie cinema.
Mr Kenneth Tan, chairman of the SFS, says January ticket sales for the local drama The Old Man And His Car have been encouraging, averaging 75 per cent occupancy. The film tells the bittersweet story of a man (played by veteran actor Lim Kay Tong) who has to part with his beloved car before migrating to Canada.
Sunny Pang (left) and Lim Kay Tong in The Old Man And His Car.
PHOTO: WAKING LIFE PICTURES
Mr Tan, 61, says: “I’ve noticed a lot of young people coming for The Old Man And His Car. Moreover, many come out of the lift looking rather uncertain of their surroundings. I believe they are going to Cineleisure for the first time. It means SFS Somerset is reaching new audiences, not just preaching to the converted. Our whole team is elated.”
He considers the arrival of Filmhouse a gain for the society’s members, despite some overlap in their missions. SFS Somerset is not only not in competition with Filmhouse, but the arrival of Capitol’s classics programme only makes things better for everyone.
The latent demand for non-mainstream films is “significant”, he notes.
“It’s a win-win, in every sense of the phrase. In fact, I think three venues is too few.”
When SFS Somerset was announced in December, Mr Tan says he received over 500 e-mails in a day from film fans with requests for specific titles to be put into the programme.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE FILM SOCIETY
In recent years, every film festival organised or co-organised by the SFS has had sell-outs and the Singapore International Film Festival in December 2025 ended with record-high ticket sales, increasing 33 per cent from 2024.
What is more, SFS Somerset, The Capitol and Filmhouse have distinct identities.
Mr Tan says: “Yes, all three show films that are beyond the mainstream. But each has its own curatorial and positioning focus. SFS, for instance, doesn’t do events, which Filmhouse might do. Meanwhile, the Capitol has heritage and grandeur that no other venue can have in Singapore.”
Here is a look at what moviegoers can expect at Filmhouse, Capitol Theatre and Shaw Theatres.
Filmhouse hopes to bring back the soul of cinema
New indie cinema Filmhouse will focus on the factor that makes it unique: Films.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
The soul of cinema is still alive in Singapore, and the team at indie cinema Filmhouse hopes to be its home.
Six months after the folding of The Projector – the indie cinema that opened in 2014 before its debts caused it to close in August 2025 – Filmhouse will focus on the factor that makes it unique: Films.
Its head of programming Walter Navarro says the possibility of an en bloc sale of Golden Mile Tower had forced his previous employer, The Projector, to open branches at The Cathay in Handy Road and Cineleisure in Grange Road. The strategy carried a rent burden.
Capitol Theatre takes its place as Singapore’s last picture palace
Capitol Theatre will welcome moviegovers with screenings of classics from Feb 22.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Can going to the cinema be an elevated experience? Mr Andras Biro, general manager of The Capitol Kempinski Hotel Singapore, thinks so.
He wants patrons who visit Capitol Theatre – just shy of a century in age – to know they are stepping into history.
Singapore’s last standalone picture palace will open its doors for regular screenings from Feb 22 and Mr Biro is excited for a new generation to sense its architectural grandeur.
Shaw Theatres forges ahead by going into premium tiers
The Lumiere Grand hall at Shaw Lido.
PHOTO: SHAW ORGANISATION
Book a ticket at a Shaw Theatres cinema and, in addition to standard seats, one might have to choose between Lumiere, Imax, Dreamers and Premiere options.
These halls – offering plusher seating, including recliners (Lumiere and Premiere), a larger screen (Imax) or a kid-friendly environment (Dreamers) – are its future.
The cinema operator is part of Shaw Organisation, a company that began life in Shanghai in the 1920s and by 1927, was screening movies in Singapore.
