When Yishun 10 opened in 1992, it revolutionised the cinema industry in Singapore. Back then, nobody believed that a cinema with ten movie auditoriums could work, especially in the heartlands.
By the end of 1993, the $37 million, 2,552-seat Yishun 10, Asia’s first Cineplex, a movie theatre with several auditoriums, had proven all critics wrong after clocking more than three million visitors since the day it opened!
Yishun 10 was the brainchild of Golden Village, a joint venture between Hong Kong company Golden Harvest and Australian company Village Roadshow. For Golden Village, Yishun, with its large population, was a strategic location. It was accessible via MRT and buses, and parking was available.
Before Yishun 10 came into the picture, cinemas were usually built with one or two halls, and screening times were limited. Yishun 10 had ten auditoriums screening different shows concurrently, which meant that visitors had more choices. This changed the way people perceived cinemas. With Yishun 10, cinemas became lifestyle destinations where people flocked to see if there were more than one movie to catch! That was not the only way Yishun 10 re-defined the industry. It pioneered trends, such as computerised ticketing systems, physically-challenged-friendly features and lush interior fittings such as carpets and ergonomic chairs. Besides this, other innovations were also implemented, such as having one long projection room stretching across all ten auditoriums for efficient management of film projection. After Yishun 10, the cinema industry in Singapore and even the rest of Asia was never quite the same again!