The aroma of grilled chicken will soon waft down the aisles when the Downtown East cineplex opens in the middle of this month.
Cathay Organisation, which runs the cineplex, plans to offer cinema-goers proper meals to go with the movie-watching experience.
You will get two movie tickets plus two set meals, from about $29.90 per couple.
On the menu: a choice of a main course (either chicken baked rice, grilled chicken or fish and chips), a dessert and a drink served on a tray with plastic cutlery. The meals are served during the evening shows only.
A Cathay spokesman says two out of the six halls at Downtown East will offer this dinner service and the aisle seats have been fitted with fold-away tables. No more than 40 people will be dining in each hall.
Cathay also has a deliver-to-your-seat meal service at its Cineleisure Orchard cineplex, but the food served is snacks such as popcorn, hot dogs and soda.
The idea of sitting down to a proper three-course meal while watching a movie appeals to some movie-goers such as student Melvin Lum, 22.
He says: 'I don't think this is a bad idea when you consider the price you are paying for it. While I don't have a habit of eating while watching a movie, I won't be disturbed if others around me do so.'
But marketing officer Caroline Wong, 36, would rather not have dinner served while she is watching a movie.
She says: 'It can be quite annoying. There's the aroma, the sound of cutlery, the chewing. The cinematic experience is very important to me and if I know a particular cinema is serving dinner, I will be sure to avoid it.'
Golden Village started serving food at its Gold Class cinemas at GV Grand, Great World City in 1999 and its three Gold Class halls in VivoCity in 2006. These halls come complete with plush seats and call buttons for service.
Movie-goers order their meals from a set menu that consists of an appetiser, main course and dessert. The extensive menu also includes alcoholic drinks such as vodka, gin, whisky and wine.
Food is served course by course during the screening of the movie. For dining in style in the Gold Class halls, expect to pay more than $100 for two.
The idea of dining in a cinema hall has also caught on overseas. Recently, the Australian media company Village Roadshow, which runs the Gold Class theatres in Australia, Singapore and Greece, announced it would open an exclusive cinema in Chicago. Waiters will be on hand to provide an upmarket dining experience in the 40-seat cinema.
While student Lorraine Lai, 23, is willing to put up with popcorn, drinks and 'minimal disturbance', she feels the 'aroma of proper food can be quite distracting'.
Food may be increasingly becoming part of the cinematic experience but Eng Wah cineplex has no plans to introduce dining at its cinemas.
Says the company's sales and marketing director Vivien Ong: 'Singapore is a food paradise and our cinemas are located in areas that offer several food choices.
'We'd rather stick to our core business which is entertainment.'
