Filmgarde Cineplex at Bugis+

I was checking out the mall for the first time and came across Filmgarde Cineplex, they were playing a movie I wanted to see, I didn’t have any pressing plans so I went to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket. After choosing what seat I wanted the ticket was printed, I paid, and took a stroll around the general area to kill some time.
There is a board in the lobby that has numbers on it that correspond to the theater numbers, when the number of the theater that your movie is being shown lights up you know that it is time to go upstairs and enter the theater.
The lobby and theater were both well kept, the sound system sounded good and they don’t turn the sound up too loud which is something I appreciate.
One thing I found a bit odd was that after the movie you can not exit the way you came in even though when I took the escalator up to the theater area there was an escalator that came down that would bring you back to the lobby. You are pointed to the back exit which leads to a series of hallways and heavy fire doors, you eventually make your way back into the mall. I don’t really understand the reasoning for this, it seemed unnecessary and a little annoying.
I would have rated this theater a 4 if it wasn’t for the crazy way they have you exit.

Buy tickets online or directly at the counter. Can be crowded if new movies start.
Cinema offers lots of food and beverages.
Staff is helpful and friendly even if you have more than one question. Seats go with row number and seat number so make sure you sit were you are supposed to.

I’m surprised that this theatre has a lot of haters. Everyone seems to be complaining about the seats; I thought they were just fine!
My husband and I were in the Bugis area, which is admittedly outside our bubble. We noticed the ads for Marvel’s Guardians for the Galaxy, and decided right then and there to go see it. Husband suggested going to Orchard, but my genius brain brought up the assumption that most major malls in SG have movie theatres. Without checking our smartphones, our gut told us to head to Bugis+ and go up, up, up… and success! We finally found Filmgarde on the 5^th floor.
It was before noon on a Sunday, so there were no lines and most movies had availability. Buying tickets and finding our movie was very straightforward.
The only things I didn’t like were the sound volume in the theatre and exiting after the movie. I thought the sound was a bit too loud, but the screen, clarity of the sound system, chairs, and room temperature were perfectly fine for me. Also, getting out of the theatre is a bit of a maze; it seems like you’re going backstage or behind the scenes of the mall before you eventually emerge back to civilization!

On the glorious first day of Transformers 4 being screened in Singapore, I was invited to attend the free screening of the movie and I wasn’t about to pass up an opportunity like that. I have never seen a movie at Filmgarde prior to today, and I was keen to see what it was like.
We were slightly delayed so did not get a chance to try out the snack bar, but to my pleasure and surprise, the seat had a little coke bottle and a pack of popcorn waiting for me (it was some charity screening). The popcorn was very average, way too sticky for my liking so I wasn’t a fan.
Upon finding our seats, I sat down and realised there was ample leg room for me, a feature in cinemas I thoroughly appreciate. The seats were spacious enough and though I was skeptical of how comfortable they’d actually be over an average of 2 hours, I told myself there was only one way to find out. I left after 2.5 hours in that seat, slightly aching all over. (Yes it was a long movie!) I found myself fidgeting in my seat every 20 minutes, not a good sign of comfort at all.
That being said, the cinema’s redeeming factor was its audio visual systems. I would assume most cinemas have great projection and screens and the screen here was sharp and colours looked great, but the surround sound and audio playback in the cinema was astounding, and in fact one of the best I’ve heard. That to me would deserve 4.5 stars.
Ultimately though I am a comfort man. Hence the average score for this cinema. I have heard this cinema is less crowded than your regular city haunts so perhaps give this a go if you don’t mind the seats. Enjoy!

Ender’s Game drew us to Filmgarde one sunny Saturday when we found ourselves in Bugis+. After filling our bellies with ramen champion, we headed upstairs to finish the meal at Marble Slab Creamery whereupon we noticed the Filmgarde.
Despite some negative reviews for the theater on Unilocal,I found it difficult to resist the temptation of seeing one of my favorite Sci-​Fi novels brought to life on the big screen. We were pleasantly surprised with theater 7. The seats were comfortable and there was ample leg room, perhaps the most of any theater in Singapore. Quite a bonus feature for any theater germaphobes.
Sound quality and temperature were perfect in the theater, unlike some other theaters, which I generally find to be too cold.
We had a great time and the movie was great too!
PARTING THOUGHT: Bugis+ is one of my favorite malls in Singapore! They always seem to have K-​pop stars and starlets in the ground floor on weekends!

Filmgarde located at Bugis+ isn’t my most favourite cinema but at least it has a few decent elements.
The seats here are actually quite uncomfortable and a little short, as my head doesn’t fully rest on the chair’s back. My back usually aches quite a bit after each movie. Furthermore, the seats are pretty tough so you’ll have to fidget a little here and there throughout the movie. Just really bad. Air-​conditioning can get quite strong in the cinema halls so remember to bring a thick sweater.
However, the great thing about this place is that it’s seldom crowded. If you want to avoid the crowd and noise, then Filmgarde is the cinema for you. You can watch midnight movies here after a whole evening of shopping and eating around the Bugis district. However, timings here are somewhat limited, which isn’t exactly a positive thing because it drives consumers towards other cinemas like Shaw Lido and The Cathay.

The horror! No I am not talking about the movie that I was watching when I visited the cinema, but the degree of comfort of this cinema that warranted a review. When filmgarde first opened we all rejoiced — more seating for shows! Plus the Shaw cinema in Bugis Junction is in very bad shape.
However when I tried watching a movie in filmgarde I discovered that they have very uncomfortable chairs. It made my back and bum ache! The seat was really hard and the chair is square, which is odd.
Never going back to watch another movie there. Shaw’s crummy old seats over boxy, hard seats any time!

I guess after Golden Village, Cathay and Shaw, Filmgarde is the next place people go to for their movie fix.
I enjoy my movie sessions at Filmgarde, located in Bugis+. Even before it was named Illuma. Reason being, it’s rather quiet there and the seats are pretty amazing! Comfortable and spacious. Good leg room space too.
On the other hand, movie selections are pretty limited and the ticketing system on site is rather slow. Also, the movie food sucks. I rather pay more for quality popcorn and overpriced cheese hotdogs, and eat my meal happily. The cheese hotdogs really tasted so bad, and the popcorn is just. bleh!
If you don’t intend to eat during the movie and are alright with your movie selection and timing, it’s a place I’ll recommend for moviegoers.

FilmGarde can definitely do more to establish its market presence. How many of us know of its promotions and brand, or even pronounce its name correctly — which by the way is ‘film-​gard’.
It has always been the quieter option, the less-​crowded place to catch movies, especially tickets that you can’t get at its towering competitors. Overall the experience is what its website states, ‘getting back to the fundamentals’, you want a movie — here, go get a seat. I like the high ceilings, adding to the illusion of space.
When you buy tickets online, you’d have to purchase it within 3 minutes, which I find is a little bit too short and gan-​cheong. Very scary one okay, when you have to enter credit card details in such a short time AND making sure you don’t book the wrong location.
Thankfully, FilmGarde has only two locations at the moment. This outlet and the other one at Kallang Leisure Park.

FilmGarde first established its first outlet in Kallang Leisure Park in December 2007, and this outlet at Bugis+ is currently the flagship outlet, opened in 2009. Not known to many, FilmGarde Cineplex is an independent Singaporean Movie Exhibitor. I have visited it several times, and it has not disappointed me so far. The seats are comfortable, and have ample leg room. The sound system is pretty good too. If you feel like munching on some snack, you can try the yummy churros! There are several films that are exclusively screened at FilmGarde, like the recent Japanese movies, SPEC and Love Strikes. I also observed that some of the movies have a longer screening period as compared to the other movie exhibitors. So even if a certain movie is off the screen for the other movie exhibitors, do give FilmGarde a check. Nothing that I really dislike here; enjoyed my visit every time!