Fans bid fond farewell as curtain falls on Hong Kong’s Grand Ocean Cinema
Tsim Sha Tsui venue closes after 56 years as cinema numbers continue to dwindle across city
More than 100 film lovers bid an emotional farewell to one of Hong Kong’s oldest cinemas on Sunday, with many taking selfies as a final memento.
Dozens gathered at the back entrance stairwell of the Golden Harvest Grand Ocean Cinema in Tsim Sha Tsui, snapping photos of the theatre’s final hours before it closed its doors for good after 56 years.
All five shows of the day were sold out, including three rounds of “blind-box” films, where the audience did not know which films would be screened until they started.
Wong Kai-Yu, 51, who works in the photography industry, went with his wife to watch American animated comedy Lilo & Stitch to rekindle the mood of their dates in the 1990s, as they were unable to get “blind-box” movie tickets.
“Back then, we’d go to the cinema about once a week to watch a movie, chat and relax. Entertainment options were simpler, and going to the films felt like a big deal,” Wong said.
“I still remember the first movie I watched at the Grand Ocean Cinema was Raiders of the Lost Ark,” he said, referring to a Hollywood adventure classic in 1981.