Cinema reopens 6 months after duct collapse incident

A cinema in Nex mall has reopened, more than six months after two people were injured when a ventilation duct collapsed in one of its halls.

A Shaw Theatres spokesman told The Straits Times yesterday that the outlet in Serangoon resumed operations on March 18, two weeks ahead of schedule, after rectification works had been completed.

On Aug 30 last year, two people were taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital after a ventilation duct fell from the ceiling in Hall 6 of the cinema, which has 10 halls.

Gold Ridge, which owns and manages Nex, appointed a professional engineer to conduct investigations.

In a statement last December, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) said the collapse was due to "a significant amount of water" accumulating in the insulation material surrounding the duct.

The accumulation was a result of "unforeseen excessive condensation over a sustained period", and its weight had overloaded the air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation (ACMV) dropper duct.

This overloaded the brackets supporting the duct, causing them to give way.

Yesterday, lunchtime showings for Godzilla Vs Kong at the Nex outlet were about half-full. The take-up rate for shows over the weekend at all 10 halls appeared low as well.

The cinema, which is screening movies such as Disney's Raya And The Last Dragon, has rolled out promotions to encourage patronage.

A moviegoer, who wanted to be known only as Ms Angela, said her friend's son was in the cinema when the duct fell.

"I was quite shocked something like that could happen. But there must have been checks conducted since or the cinema won't be allowed to operate (now)," the 40-year-old accountant said.

Public servant Matthew Neo, 32, said that "because the cinema was closed for so long, I trust they used that time to assess and fix the issue".

In response to queries from ST, the BCA said it conducted a site check of the cinema on March 17. It has also issued an advisory to the building owner and the industry to share good practices for the design and maintenance of ACMV systems.

Shaw Theatres said its Nex outlet was reopened after all the rectification works proposed by the appointed professional engineer had been carried out and certified.

"As added precautionary measures, temperature and moisture sensors have also been installed," a spokesman added.

Welcoming the reopening, a Nex spokesman said: "(We) are working closely with (Shaw Theatres) to promote their upcoming movies, given that the theatre is an important entertainment venue for many of our mall shoppers."