Hongkongers queue to get their hands on half-price National Day cinema tickets
More than 50 cinemas offering tickets as part of celebrations, which also include public transport offers and restaurant discounts
People queued at cinema box offices on Friday, eager to grab half-priced movie tickets for National Day in Hong Kong, while many others waited online for more than an hour to make their purchase.
The government-sponsored half-price ticket sale, celebrating National Day on October 1, began at noon. A few early arrivals gathered before 11.30am at the STAR Cinema box office in Tseung Kwan O, with about 30 people queuing by noon.
The Post attempted to buy tickets online from five major cinema chains, of which it was possible to access the websites of Emperor Cinemas, Golden Scene Cinema and CGV Cinemas directly and proceed to seat selection.
But the Broadway Circuit website displayed an estimated wait time of 127 minutes, with 1,066 users ahead in the queue as of 12.03pm.
When the Post accessed the site at about 1pm, many tickets were still available, but there was an estimated two-hour wait behind about 5,000 users to select seats.
Accessing the MCL Cinema’s website took around 20 minutes. Most tickets remained available except for the MX4D version of the anime movie Chainsaw Man: The Movie: Reze Arc, which sold out quickly. MX4D theatres aim to create an immersive experience with motion seats and theatre effects.