Cinemas & Theater in Taiping

There are three major cinemas in Taiping, all outlets of major cinema operators in Malaysia:

• Paragon Cinemas Taiping Mall
• MBO Cinemas Taiping Sentral
• TGV Taiping

All three are located within major shopping malls in Taiping, and adhere to the mall’s operating hours, usually between 10 am and 10 pm. The cinemas are still open beyond these hours for late-night shows. 

Paragon Cinemas Taiping Mall

Paragon Cinemas is located within Taiping Mall. Access the cinema halls directly from the car park, or through the escalators and elevators within the mall.

MBO Cinemas Taiping Sentral

MBO Cinemas is located within the Taiping Sentral Mall, on the top floor. Access the cinemas through the elevator shafts on the far end of the mall, or through the escalators within the mall.

TGV Taiping

TGV Taiping is located on the top floor of AEON Mall. The cinema can be directly accessed from the car park, or through the escalators in the mall.

A Brief History of Cinemas in Taiping

Taiping has a rich history concerning cinemas, being one of the earliest developed modern cities in Malaysia. Early cinema in Taiping consisted of individuals with a silver screen and a film reel projector who traveled from village to village, broadcasting shows for a meager fee for the enjoyment of the local populace. In time, some operators built or acquired premises of their own to be used as cinema halls, and village folk and townspeople would congregate to watch the latest matinee or Hollywood production in these cinemas. One of the busiest and most heavily-developed commercial zones in Taiping has a street named Jalan Panggung Wayang, with its former English name being Theater Road. The plot of land near the Taiping Chinese Methodist Church here used to be the site of the largest cinemas in Taiping.

With the passage of more time, some of these early cinemas were sold to larger cinema operators, usually with multiple outlets nationwide. Older Taiping-folk would remember cinemas from the Rex and Lido chains of cinema operators. All of these old cinemas have now closed down now, however, mostly due to the advancements in cinema architecture, and the crushing advent of larger modern cinema operator chains choosing to house their cinemas in large shopping malls. Most of these older cinema buildings are still visible in the city, with some being renovated and converted to serve other commercial purposes.

As per times of yore, cinemas in Taiping are still very busy on weekends, with folk from neighbouring towns congregating in Taiping to watch their intended shows, and to do a bit of shopping and sightseeing at the same time.