A group of friends rented out an entire cinema for a double date, and it's literally the most legendary thing we've ever heard.
Les, a gamer in Singapore, was bored and was surfing the 'net for ideas for outings while staying safe in the pandemic. He almost settled on spending a day strolling around Gardens by the Bay, a ginormous nature park with a number of scenic walks and boasts the largest glass greenhouse in the world. He eventually decided that this was too pedestrian for his tastes, and he wanted a new experience, something he'd never done before.
He then stumbled upon the fact that, in countries like the UK, US and Malaysia, people are able to rent cinemas for gaming. Odeon, a cinema chain in Europe, announced its Big Screen Gaming service in October which was intended to encourage people to use the cinemas and keep the industry afloat in the pandemic. Additionally, AMC opened up its screens for private hire, letting groups of up to 20 people watch together for a cost of $99 to $149, depending on the movie.
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This was exactly the sort of thing Les was looking for. He spoke to a handful of cinemas to ask whether they would be willing to offer the same big screen gaming experience, seeing as movie releases have been few and far between in 2020. One cinema was more than happy to help, and gave him a quote for a three hour session on a screen, plus refillable popcorn and drinks (totalling $325 or £240 ish). Their rules stipulated that no more than five people could come, and they all had to wear a mask, as per the country's coronavirus rules.
That was perfect for Les, his partner, and his friend and their partner. The surround sound system and screen that was about four times larger than the TV he has at home was awesome, and they played games like Tumblestone, Think of the Children, and Moving Out. "If you were to ask me, I definitely would rather play Call of Duty or Star Wars: Battlefront on the big screen, but I wanted to keep my partner and my friend's partner in mind, as they both did not want to play violent games," he explained in an interview with Vice. Maybe next time, Les.
Also, the cinema that they chose didn't actually offer big screen gaming publicly, but after their double date, he suggested that other cinemas hop on the trend in the pandemic. The photos he posted in a Facebook group got a lot of attention, with lots of people wanting to find out how they did it. "I strongly think this package should continue even after COVID-19, especially for people who enjoy big screen gaming," said Les. "This is truly an awesome experience, I would recommend my friends to try it out if they wanted to."
Featured Image Credit: LesTopics: News