Free shows test run at Lotus Five Star Seri Kinta in Ipoh last week

2 Feb – Ipoh's Bangunan Seri Kinta sees the light of day again after its infamous arson during the "Sivaji" no-show fiasco in 2007 - it has now been given a brand new look as the new 4-screen Lotus Five Star Seri Kinta.

The 650-seater will complement existing cineplexes GSC Ipoh Parade, TGV Kinta and also Big Cinemas Lotus Five Star Sitiawan.

According to SPM school leaver Raju Muthu: "I came today (last week) to watch 'Vettaikaran' for the fifth time since it's a free show test run. I've watched so many movies here, but they keep changing operators every now and then. My brother was around during the 'Sivaji' burning and it used to be called Pawagam Seri Kinta then."

Project manager Mohd Shah told Cinema Online: "This is a great addition to the Lotus Five Star stable. We will be looking to add more locations nationwide later this year. What I can disclose today is that they will be a 6-screen cineplex of ours in Kampar and also a 5-screen on the ground floor of 1 Plaza in Kuala Selangor, at an entertainment complex near Tesco. They are laying foundations as we speak."

Lotus Five Star Seri Kinta: Rushing to open for Chinese New Year

The new cineplex is located on the ground floor and is understood to have been refurbished and converted from a large single screen during the heydays of independent standalone cinemas in Ipoh.

Further south, a 4-screen 1,100 seater in Skudai Parade will also open on 11 February 2010. The development has come as a surprise as there is little or no media coverage on the opening.

According to sources within Lotus Five Star, both locations will show all the new movies, including "All's Well End's Well Too 2010", "Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief" and also "Theeradha Vilaiyattu Pillai".