Commentary: Natural to feel nostalgic about the end of Cathay Cineplex at Cineleisure - but a refresh is due
In the digital age, convenience and cost-effectiveness have challenged businesses in Somerset and the wider Orchard area in Singapore to reinvent themselves or risk irrelevance, says documentary storyteller Ong Kah Jing (OKJ).

SINGAPORE: The announcement of Cathay Cineplex's closure at Cineleisure has stirred a wave of nostalgia, especially among millennials. Cineleisure Orchard and the wider area now known as the Somerset Belt was the place for a generation coming of age in the 2000s - a hotspot for window shopping and movie dates.
But with falling footfall and tenant occupancy rates, what was once the most vibrant corner of Singapore now looks like a ghost town. The end of Cathay Cineplex at Cineleisure and neighbouring McDonald’s at formerly popular youth hangout *SCAPE seems like a long time coming.
It's bittersweet to see places intertwined with our memories fade away from the landscape. However, transformation plans for the Somerset Belt are cause for optimism.
OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Cathay Cineplex Cineleisure’s demise ushered in the surprise announcement that movie operators Golden Village and The Projector will collaborate to take over the space in December.
The Projector showcases niche films like Oscar-nominated animated documentary Flee (2021) and other gems that struggle to find their place in the mainstream. Golden Village, Singapore's largest cinema chain, offers a slate of Hollywood blockbusters as well as local films like André and His Olive Tree (2020) and Some Women (2021).
Together, both operators will provide a wider selection of films to meet more diverse interests. The Projector can count on Golden Village’s decades of operational know-how, while Golden Village can benefit from the dynamism of a homegrown indie darling.
The collaboration’s ambition goes beyond being a cinema: It hopes to be “a space for people to be immersed in rich cultural experiences such as live music sessions, art showcases or fun interactive screenings”.
Despite the plethora of streaming options, cinemas will always hold a special place in society thanks to the phenomenon of serendipity. Moviegoers chance upon new observations, unexpected encounters and conversations with friends - spontaneous events they’d miss out on if they just watched Netflix at home.
The magic of creating memories thrives in public spaces, and this echoes in the changes that we are about to see along the Somerset Belt.
PHYSICAL SPACES FOR SERENDIPIDITY
In the digital age, convenience and cost-effectiveness have challenged retailers in Somerset and the wider Orchard area to reinvent themselves or risk irrelevance. Incoming tenants seem to understand that the old brick-and-mortar model no longer works, and that they need to offer experiences that cannot be replicated on a screen.
Besides Golden Village X The Projector, new tenants like Taiwan Night Markets and HaveFun Karaoke will inject fresh energy into Cineleisure, and provide opportunities for serendipitous experiences.
*SCAPE is also undergoing rejuvenation to provide spaces for young entrepreneurs and creatives to work in, as well as a refreshed line-up of retail and entertainment offerings.
Trifecta, Asia’s first facility for skating, surfing and snowboarding, will soon be completed near Somerset Skatepark too.
At the heart of the Somerset Belt revamp is the acknowledgement that dreams flourish when spaces are made available. “Youths can find their own space to do many things, nothing, or their own version of in-between,” according to the 50-page masterplan.
At this year’s Committee of Supply Debate, Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan said youths will “get to decide how (the Somerset Belt) will look like, operate, and also develop future programmes”.
The Realise Your Somerset Project gave youths the channel to propose programmes like art installations and workshops. It supported 24 projects and reached out to 18,000 youths in 2022.

Efforts like these give today’s youth stakes in shaping the Somerset Belt. We millennials might reminisce about the bygone era of Neoprints and arcade games at Cineleisure, but it is time for the place to evolve with the needs and aspirations of a new generation.
A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR PLACEMAKING
Indeed, it is not enough to look on at the deaths of our beloved spaces with nostalgia. Nostalgia is fleeting, and with each passing day, it becomes harder to recall what was replaced, and what memories were attached to them. The wistfulness I felt about Cathay Cineleisure's closure was accompanied by the realisation that I haven't patronised that cinema in years.
Ultimately, it is the people who breathe life into a place. Through active participation, we determine a space's relevance and its value in our society, both physically and culturally. This is particularly true in land-scarce Singapore, where cost pressures on businesses and tenant turnover are high.
2024 will be a critical year for Cineleisure and the Somerset Belt. As the grand opening hype gradually subsides, we face a pivotal question: Will history repeat itself, or will we seize this new opportunity for placemaking?
As Somerset becomes home to bold ventures and live events, let us remember that it is we, the people, who truly make a place stay alive.
Ong Kah Jing (OKJ) is a documentary storyteller who does justice to stories.