Need something to do on a Friday night? Going to the movies is a no-brainer – it’s a low-effort social activity, it’s relatively affordable, and you’ll have something to talk about with your colleagues the next week.
But if you’re a movie buff, or if you need to pay for a family night out, going to the movies can add up to quite a bit.
Here’s what you can do to get cheaper cinema tickets:
Be aware of the pricing structure
To get cheaper tickets, you’ll have to know what the average prices are, and what influences prices. Generally, there are five things that determine prices:
- Type of movie (blockbuster or non-blockbuster)
- Movie format or cinema hall (2D, 3D, Standard, IMAX, etc.)
- Location (it’s generally a bit pricier to watch movies in the Klang Valley, especially in popular locations like Mid Valley or Pavilion)
- Time and day (generally cheaper on a Wednesday and during odd hours; pricier on weekends)
- Opening day (tickets tend to cost more over the first weekend of a movie’s screening and drop when it is being rotated out of circulation)
Getting a seat a special cinema hall like IMAX or TGV’s Beaniplex will cost you more. But if you’re just interested in getting a standard ticket, here’s a price comparison of cinema ticket prices in the Klang Valley for a blockbuster movie:
| Cinema | GSC | TGV | MBO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday (before 12pm) | RM11 | RM10 | RM9 |
| Weekday (after 12pm) | RM22 | RM15 | RM9 |
| Wednesday | RM11 to RM14 | RM10 to RM12 | RM9 |
| Weekend (before 12pm) | RM11 | RM10 | RM9 |
| Weekend (after 12pm) | RM22 | RM18 | RM9 |
But the prices you’ll get can also vary depending on the location of the cinema. For example, here’s how much it costs to watch a blockbuster movie on a weekday at an upscale mall, compared to somewhere less popular:
| GSC | GSC Summit USJ: RM10 – RM16 | GSC Mid Valley: RM11 – 22 |
| TGV | TGV Jaya Shopping Centre: RM10 – RM17 | TGV Suria KLCC: RM10 – RM15 |
| MBO | MBO Subang Parade: RM9 | MBO Starling Mall: RM17 |
Take advantage of loyalty programmes
TGV and MBO reward you with loyalty points when you buy tickets through their online or mobile platforms. These points can be used to redeem free tickets.
| TGV | · You must sign up for an All-New MovieClub membership · Every RM1 spent = 5 MovieMoney · RM340 spent = 1,700 MovieMoney = 1 standard ticket |
| MBO | · You must sign up for MBO Starclub · Every RM1 spent = 10 Star Points · RM240 spent = 2,400 Star Points = 1 standard ticket |
At first glance, these numbers may not look impressive. But if you use your MovieMoney to redeem an RM15 standard movie ticket at TGV, this works out to an equivalent cashback value of 4.4%, which isn’t too bad at all. Pair that with a cashback credit card, and you’ll be seeing even more savings.
Redeem your birthday freebies
Birthday freebies aren’t what they used to be. GSC, TGV and MBO used to give away free movie tickets during your birthday month. However, only MBO and GSC gives you free tickets now, and even GSC’s birthday promotion won’t be valid next year.
A TGV membership gives you 1,000 MovieMoney during your birthday month, which is equivalent to slightly over half a ticket (you need 1,700 to redeem a standard ticket).
Still, it’s hard to complain about getting something for free:
| Cinema | Birthday freebies |
|---|---|
| GSC | · You must sign up to be a GSC member · Fill up this form and bring it to the box office counter · Entitles you to two free movie tickets during your birthday month · Starting 1 January 2020, GSC Membership Birthday reward will no longer be available |
| TGV | · You must sign up for an All-New MovieClub membership · TGV rewards you with 1,000 MovieMoney during your birthday month (you need 1,700 MovieMoney to redeem a standard ticket) |
| MBO | · You must sign up for MBO Starclub · Entitles you to two free movie tickets during your birthday month · You won’t get any birthday ticket benefit if you did not make any transactions in the past 12 months |
Credit card movie deals
The easiest way to save on movie tickets is to get a cashback credit card – this automatically gives you a fraction of your money back whenever you make a purchase.
But if you pay a bit more attention to ongoing credit card promotions, you can potentially save a lot more. Here are the current credit card movie deals:
| Credit card | Cinema | Details | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maybank credit cards | TGV | RM8 Standard and Deluxe movie tickets on Monday; 50% off Standard and IMAX® movie tickets on Saturday | 31.01.2020 |
| HSBC credit cards | MBO | RM8 movie ticket for Standard seat and RM9 movie ticket for VIP seat every Friday to Sunday | 30.04.2020 |
| RHB credit cards | MBO | RM8 movie ticket (maximum two per day) every Friday to Sunday | 21.03.2020 |
| Hong Leong Bank GSC Credit Card | GSC | RM6 off all movie tickets (excluding movies screening on Wednesday) and 30% off movie snacks | - |
| Citi Clear Credit Card | GSC | Buy 1 and get 1 free standard ticket every Friday | - |
| Citi Prestige Credit Card | GSC | Buy 1 and get 1 free Gold Class Ticket | - |
| Standard Chartered VISA Infinite Credit Card | GSC | Buy 1 and get 1 free Gold Class or Premiere Class Ticket | - |
| Standard Chartered JustOne Platinum Credit Card | GSC | RM10 for 1 standard ticket for showtimes after 1pm (except on Wednesdays) | 28.02.2020 |
| UOB YOLO Credit Card | GSC | RM5 for 1 standard ticket every Friday | 03.04.2020 |
e-Wallet movie deals
Prefer to use your e-Wallet to pay? Take advantage of these e-Wallet deals:
| e-Wallet | Cinema | Details | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrabPay | MBO | Spend a minimum of RM16 on movie tickets to get RM7 discount voucher for a Share or Movie Combo | 31.07.2020 |
| Touch 'n Go eWallet | TGV | All-day RM10 movie ticket; only applicable for ticket purchase over the counter | 01.09.2020 |
More ways to save
Going to the movies is generally not a huge expense, but it’s nice to shave off a dollar or two when you can. Of course, you don’t have to stop at movie tickets. There are loads of tricks that could help you save on almost anything, including travel, food and weekend spending – just visit our archives for more.
