Eng Wah exits S'pore cinema industry after 80-year legacy

Eng Wah, one of Singapore's oldest cinema operators, has closed its last cinema in Singapore after a storied 80-year-legacy.

Originally a household name for screening Chinese movies from Hong Kong or Taiwan, it also flourished in housing estates in the early years of the nation's history.

On Oct. 18, 2024, it was announced that Eng Wah Global Pte Ltd's last cinema — the WE Cinemas outlet at 321 Clementi — had been sold to mm2 Asia Ltd, the owner of Cathay Cineplexes.

The cinema will assume operations as Cathay Cineplexes Clementi 321 from Nov. 1, 2024.

On the closure of the WE Cinemas outlet at 321 Clementi, Goh Min Yen, managing director of Eng Wah Global Pte Ltd, previously told Mothership that the company is grateful for the "phenomenal support" from its cinema patrons.

Goh added that his team is "committed to supporting the new management for the transition".

He did not share whether the company has plans to re-open WE Cinemas elsewhere in Singapore.

Eng Wah's history in Singapore

Eng Wah's founder, Goh Eng Wah, started his first cinema, later renamed Victory Theatre, at the Happy World Amusement Park during the 1940s, which survived by screening Japanese propaganda films.

Goh, the son of a rubber trader in Johor, had little industry experience so he observed how big players, such as Shaw and Cathay operated their cinemas, according to a National Library Board (NLB) article.

Subsequently, Goh expanded by acquiring other cinemas and set up Eng Wah Theatres Organisation Pte Ltd in 1968, which was known for bringing in Chinese movies from Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Eng Wah's cinemas would subsequently flourish in heartland estates, with Goh opening a cinema in Toa Payoh in 1972, his first in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) estate.

This was followed by other heartland cinemas in Kallang, Clementi, Ang Mo Kio, and others.

In the 1980s, Goh started handing over the reins of Eng Wah to his children, who oversaw the inclusion of English-language films from Hollywood into their programming.

Goh passed away in 2015 at the age of 92.

By the 1990s, Singaporeans had started patronising large cineplexes in shopping centres accessible by MRT, The Straits Times reported.

Eng Wah tried to venture into the city centre by opening outlets at Marina Square and Suntec City, but these closed in 1998 and 2013 respectively.

After rebranding as WE Cinemas in 2011, Eng Wah rallied in 2015 by opening a new 10-screen multiplex at 321 Clementi.

However, the Clementi outlet would remain the operator's sole cinema till its closure in 2024.

Operators face challenges to stay afloat: ST

ST reported that this closure marks Eng Wah's exit from the local cinema industry, which is dominated by major chains Golden Village Multiplex, Cathay Cineplexes and Shaw Theatres.

For smaller operators with regular screenings of commercial films, only The Projector, Carnival Cinemas, EagleWings Cinematics and Filmgarde Cineplexes are left.

According to ST, several challenges that operators face include the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, falling attendance, Hollywood strikes and the rise of streaming services.

Some of the operators still in business have survived by filling a niche, such as screening Bollywood or arthouse films.

Eng Wah Global continues to be in business.

It has branched out into other forms of investment, such as property leasing and hospitality in Singapore and Malaysia, according to the company's website.

Notably, it owns the 321 Clementi and Jubilee Square malls, Hotel Fort Canning, The Legends Fort Canning, and The Legends Golf & Resort Sdn Bhd.

Top image from Google