Movie ticket prices Singapore (2019) - which cinema is the cheapest?
PUBLISHED ONJune 05, 2019 5:00 AMByClara Lim
Despite Netflix's best efforts, cinemas here are still doing brisk business, with new theatres popping up seemingly every month and movie ticket prices in Singapore slowly inching upwards.
If you like nothing more than to hear the sweet crunch of someone else's popcorn beneath the soles of your shoes, here's a cheat sheet to help you determine where the cheapest movie tickets are any time of the week.
TL;DR: MOVIE TICKET PRICES IN SINGAPORE 2019
Here's an overview of ticket prices charged by the 5 cinema chain operators in Singapore, plus indie cinema The Projector thrown in for good measure:
| Cinema | Mon to Thu | Fri to Sun, PH & eve |
| Shaw Theatres | $8.50 / $9.50 (new releases) | $13 |
| GV | $6.50 to $7.50 in a group of 3 to 5, otherwise $9 / $9.50 (new releases) | $13.50 |
| Cathay | $9 / $9.50 (new releases) | $13 / $13.50 (new releases) |
| WE Cinemas | $8.50 / $9.50 (new releases) | $12.50 |
| Filmgarde | $9 / $9.50 (new releases) | $13.50 |
| The Projector | $13.50 | $13.50 |
(I'm looking only at 2D movies - it'll cost more if you're going to a 3D movie, iMAX movie or what have you.)
As you can see, movie ticket prices in Singapore are FAR from standard, with there being quite a bit of variation between prices. And that's before applying any promotions - of which there's a dizzying array.
In summary:
- Cheapest cinema for weekdays: GV ($6.50 to $7.50 for group of 3 to 5)
- Best weekday promotions: GV group promo ($6.50 to $7.50), GV Movie Club ($6.50 Tuesdays), HSBC Movie Card ($7)
- Cheapest cinema for weekends: WE Cinemas ($12.50), Shaw ($13)
- Best weekend promotions: SAFRA MovieMax ($9.50), HSBC Movie Card ($9.50)
SHAW MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS 2019
Despite being one of the longstanding go-to cinemas, Shaw Theatres has some of the lowest movie ticket prices in town. Movie tickets cost $8.50 on Mondays to Thursdays, unless it's a new release, in which case it's $9.50. All movie tickets are $13 on weekends.
On top of that, Shaw also has a slew of card / membership promotions:
| Membership | Shaw movie ticket promotion | Cheapest ticket price |
| UnionPay | 1-for-1 daily | $4.25 (weekday) |
| Maybank Platinum Visa | $3 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $5.50 (weekday) |
| M1 | 1-for-1 on Sundays | $6.50 (weekend) |
| SAFRA MovieMax | $7 / $8 weekday tickets, $9.50 weekend | $7 (weekday) |
| SAFRA NSF | $7 / $8 on Tuesdays | $7 (Tuesday) |
| SAFRA | $7.50 / $9 weekday tickets, $10.50 weekend | $7.50 (weekday) |
| OCBC | $1 off | $7.50 (weekday) |
While the 1-for-1 movie ticket promotions are the most attractive, they tend to be limited to a few hundred redemptions a month, so you have to try your luck. For a more reliable discount, bring your SAFRA membership card (or jio a friend who's a member) or use an OCBC card.
GV MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS 2019
Golden Village movie tickets are $9 on weekdays (surcharge of $0.50 for new releases) and $13.50 on weekends.
Compared to Shaw, Golden Village is quite pricey, but to make up for it, there's a really good promotion for GV Plaza Singapura, Tiong Bahru, Bishan, Bedok and Katong if you come in a group of 3, 4 or 5 on Mon to Thu. Tickets are $7.50 (group of 3), $7 (group of 4) or $6.50 (group of 5) each. Runs until 28 Nov 2019.
GV loses to Shaw in terms of the number of movie promotions they have…
| Membership | GV movie ticket promotion | Cheapest ticket price |
| GV Movie Club | $7 tickets on Mondays / $6.50 on Tuesdays | $6.50 (Tuesday) |
| HSBC Movie Card | $7 tickets for weekdays / $9.50 for all days | $7 (weekday) |
| DBS / POSB | $1 off | $8 (weekday) |
…. but, they have the best in-house membership club: GV Movie Club. Membership is free and it guarantees you $6.50 movie tickets on Tuesdays and $7 tickets on Mondays.
If you prefer more flexibility for your discounted tickets, there's the HSBC Movie Card which is a prepaid package of 10 tickets. You can choose from Red ($70 for 10 tickets, weekdays only) or Silver ($95 for 10 tickets, can be used any day).
CATHAY MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS 2019
Cathay movie ticket prices have crept up recently - previously it was a flat $9 to catch a weekday movie, but now weekday movie tickets are $9 / $9.50 for new releases. Likewise, there's a new $0.50 surcharge for new releases on weekends, so $13 / $13.50.
Cathay doesn't have many movie ticket promotions:
| Membership | Cathay movie ticket promotion | Cheapest ticket price |
| HomeTeamNS | 1-for-1 on Sat & Sun | $6.50 (weekend) |
| Any Mastercard | $1 off ticket price | $9 (weekday) |
| PAssion Card | $11.50 weekday / $14.50 weekend bundle | No discount |
WE CINEMAS MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS 2019
"WE… what?!"
Formerly known as Eng Wah, WE Cinemas only has the one cinema (in Clementi) so I don't blame you for not knowing about it. If the location works for you, though, it does have the cheapest movie tickets - on par with Shaw - at $8.50 for weekdays and $12.50 for weekends.
Don't pay full price though, because you can easily get $1 off each ticket if you pay with the following credit cards (and PAssion card).
| Membership | WE Cinemas movie ticket promotion | Cheapest ticket price |
| American Express | $1 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $7.50 (weekday) |
| HSBC | $1 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $7.50 (weekday) |
| Maybank | $1 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $7.50 (weekday) |
| PAssion Card | $1 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $7.50 (weekday) |
| Standard Chartered | $1 off (min. purchase 2 tickets) | $7.50 (weekday) |
FILMGARDE MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS 2019
The Filmgarde cinema chain has 3 outlets: Bugis+, Leisure Park Kallang and Century Square in Tampines. Movie tickets cost $9 on weekdays, unless it's a new release ($9.50). Weekend movie tickets are a standard $13.50.
That's the best price you're going to get here, though, because Filmgarde has no movie ticket promotions. The closest thing to it is a bundle deal (movie tickets + snacks) for 2 pax, which costs $28 ($14/pax) for weekdays and $37 ($18.50/pax) on weekends.
THE PROJECTOR MOVIE TICKET PRICES & PROMOTIONS
If you want to watch non-mainstream films, The Projector at Golden Mile Tower (not Complex) is just about the only cinema where you can do that.
Understandably, movie ticket prices aren't cheap - they cost $13.50 regardless of the day of the week. There are also no card promotions, but if you're an arthouse film buff you can get a gift pack of 10 tickets for $105, which brings the cost down to $10.50/ticket.
COMPARISON: STUDENT MOVIE TICKET PRICES SINGAPORE 2019
| Cinema | Student movie ticket price | When |
| Cathay (Parkway) | $5 | Tue all day / Mon, Wed to Fri before 6pm |
| Cathay | $6 (Tue) / $7 | Tue all day / Mon, Wed to Fri before 6pm |
| Shaw | $6.50 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| GV | $7 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| WE Cinemas | $7 | Mon to Wed all day / Thu to Fri before 6pm |
| Filmgarde | $7 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| The Projector | $11.50 | Anytime |
Overall, Cathay has the best student movie tickets right now. If you don't mind heading to the East, tickets are only $5 at their new Parkway Parade cinema.
Not only that - Cathay offers student discount all day on Tuesdays (i.e. not just before 6pm). Plus they have the cheapest rate of $6 on Tuesdays too.
COMPARISON: SENIOR CITIZEN MOVIE TICKET PRICES SINGAPORE 2019
| Cinema | Senior citizen movie ticket price | When |
| Shaw | $4 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| Cathay | $4 (Wed) / 5 | Wed all day / Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri before 6pm |
| WE Cinemas | $4.50 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| Filmgarde | $5 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| GV | $5 | Mon to Fri before 6pm |
| The Projector | $11.50 | Anytime |
Senior citizens also get discounts at all cinemas. The cheapest cinema chain is Shaw, which offers a standard $4 across the board.
But coming in very close is Cathay, which also matches the $4 rate on Wednesdays - not just before 6pm, but all day, which is great.
COMPARISON: FREE MOVIE ADMISSION FOR KIDS PROMOTIONS 2019
| Cinema | Kids movie ticket promotion | When |
| Shaw | Free admission (up to age 6) w/ 1 ticket purchased | Mon to Fri before 2pm |
| GV | Free admission (up to age 12) w/ 2 tickets purchased | Daily before 2pm |
| Cathay | Free admission (up to age 12) w/ 1 ticket purchased (until 30 Jun, otherwise 2 tickets) with HSBC Visa Platinum card | Anytime |
| WE Cinemas | Free admission (up to 90cm height) w/ 1 ticket purchased | Anytime except PH & eve of PH |
Finally - if you have a child who insists on watching the latest Frozen reboot* or the new Teletubbies live action movie* or whatever, you can save quite a few bucks by going to Shaw, GV or WE Cinemas (depending on the age/height of your kid).
*I made these up
This article was first published in MoneySmart.
ALSO READ: Free movie screenings that you can watch on the weekends