TGV Cinemas clarifies The Batman movie glitch, quells rumours of VIP treatment

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TGV Cinemas has apologised and clarified a recent incident which saw viewers at its Vivacity Megamall outlet in Kuching having the film, The Batman, restart after 45 minutes. On 6 March, the company said on Twitter that it definitely does not cater to viewers coming in later, adding that this is not the standard practice and that it is investigating the matter. Today, TGV explained that the session delays were due to a technical issue at its IMAX hall, and not due to the late arrival of VIPs.

TGV also said in the latest Twitter statement that the late arrival of VIPs was "wrongly stated in the media". "At no point has TGV issued a statement of official comment to any media outlet confirming this to be the cause of the delay," said the statement.

https://twitter.com/TGVCinemas/status/1500707586655457283

In the spirit of transparency, the company also provided a detailed explanation for the incident and said that the morning and afternoon shows in IMAX on the same day were also delayed, due to a technical issue. TGV said its team acted swiftly to fix the technical issue and the evening 7.15 session was able to start on time. However, a miscommunication in the team led to some staff presuming that the 7.15 pm show would also be delayed. During this time, 20% of the guests had already entered the hall, while the remaining 80% were still waiting at the foyer.

During its initial apology on 6 March, TGV offered full refunds to impacted guests and two complimentary movie tickets. Netizens, however, were unconvinced, with some accusing TGV of giving a "half-assed" apology and for "twisting the story". Some also called for TGV to explain the reason behind the technical issues, while a handful tweeted that they will be supporting GSCinemas instead moving forward.

https://twitter.com/YushiErico/status/1500712081594585090

https://twitter.com/risuofdeath/status/1500712397874421761

https://twitter.com/theredpandasays/status/1500713743122006018

A Twitter user responded to TGV's initial statement with a screenshot that explained the incident. According to the screenshot, the movie began at 7.15pm and was rolling for approximately 45 minutes before it was paused. A staff then came in to announce that the movie was going to restart from the beginning as there were customers who just arrived. Meanwhile, another screenshot said there was a miscommunication with some ticket holders who wanted to enter for the 7.15pm screening but was told to come back at 7.45pm instead as the movie was delayed due to an issue with the IMAX cinema. A+M has reached out to TGV Cinemas for comment.

https://twitter.com/zhafvlog/status/1500397642173788164

https://twitter.com/Mismaisu89/status/1500438872702197763

Since its release, The Batman has generated more than US$120 million at the box office, coming in above the studio's expectations of US$110 million, said CNBC. In fact, The Batman is only the second film released after March 2020 to see an opening weekend sales that exceed US$100 million. The first was Spider-Man:No Way Home, which generated approximately US$260 million during its debut in December, CNBC added.

From The Batman Experience in Sunway Pyramid to OOH advertisements and a "batmobile" in Singapore, Warner Brothers went all out to release a series of marketing stunts to build up the consumers' anticipation of the movie. For The Batman Experience in Sunway Pyramid, fans can immerse themselves inside the world of Gotham. Held from 25 February to 13 March, visitors can unlock riddles for a cup of Riddler-themed coffee, meet Batman cosplayers, participate in games and stand a chance to win a life-sized The Batman figure and limited movie merchandise. Additionally, Warner Bros launched a three-day countdown to the release of the film in Malaysia, from 1 March, with a Batman laser projection in the sky to signal the film's arrival.

Meanwhile, in Singapore, Warner Bros partnered with Moove Media, in collaboration with Havas Media to launch 100 batmobiles. The campaign was aimed to create awareness of the film by taking on an innovative approach to the superhero's iconic batmobile. It also turned Singapore's Orchard Road into Gotham City with a pop-up experience.

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