Then and now
There are many variations to the history of cinemas in KL, but the most common version is this: In 1930, two of the Shaw brothers, Run Run Shaw and Runme Shaw, started the South Seas Film studio which later became Shaw Studio. In July 1935, Cathay Organisation was incorporated as Associated Theatres Ltd by Mrs Loke Yew, and headed by Khoo Teik Ee. In 1953, Loke Wan Tho, by now the head of Cathay, teamed up with Ho Ah Loke, an engineer who owned Keris Films, to form Cathay-Keris Studios. The 1960s saw an intense rivalry between Cathay-Keris and Shaw in the production and distribution of films in Malaya, with the latter gaining the upper hand. The Shaw chain alone operated 200 cinemas across Southeast Asia by the 1970s, alongside independent operators, before declining in the following decades.
Cathay, Rex, Federal, Pavilion, Lido, Empire, President, Mido, Alhambra, Majestic, Coliseum, Odeon, Madras, Central, Metropole, Shaw, Golden City, Capitol, Sun, Hoover, Tai Wa, Ria, Goodwood all read like a zoetrope of exotic places in a fantasy novel, of which only a handful is remembered and even fewer still exist. Each built to trump the other, they linger on as fragments in the memory of older KL, replaced by more profitable ventures or simply torn down. Cathay and Pavilion on Jalan Bukit Bintang became parking lots and today, a planned MRT station. Lido in Brickfields was demolished for redevelopment, along with Majestic on Jalan Pudu. Coliseum and Odeon on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman are the last chariots in the camp, the former with refurbished interiors and a heritage status, the latter relegated to a tiny corridor lined with posters. Federal Cinema on Jalan Raja Laut slipped through the fingers of many owners, each with a renewed promise to rejuvenate the building. The building looks new, with a fresh coat of paint, new ticket and snack counters, but with no plans to open.