Rex Cinemas Mackenzie

Rex Cinemas Mackenzie was a Singapore entertainment venue located beside the Ellison Building on MacKenzie Road, near Bukit Timah Road and Selegie Road. The Art Deco-style building was constructed on the former site of the Singapore Boxing Stadium, which had been closed and demolished in 1946. It opened as Rex Theatre in 1964, beginning a long and unusually varied operating history that extended beyond conventional film exhibition. The venue's first screening was the English-language film The Jungle Book. Its auditorium had an unconventional arrangement in which the front and rear stalls sloped toward one another. This design was intended to improve sightlines for patrons seated close to the screen. In 1967, the Shaw Organisation took over the cinema. Rex reached a high point in popularity in 1976, when screenings of Earthquake used Sensurround effects to simulate seismic vibrations in the auditorium and drew exceptionally large crowds. Like many traditional cinemas, Rex was affected by the growth of home video and videotape piracy. It closed as a cinema in 1983, with Jaws 3-D reported as its final film screening. The building was subsequently reused as a performance venue, hosting singers from Taiwan and Hong Kong in 1985. In 1989 it became Fuji Ice Palace, an ice-skating rink, which ceased operations in 1993. Foo Chow Methodist Church temporarily occupied the premises in 1999 while its own building was reconstructed and upgraded after tunnelling-related safety concerns. The church returned to its original premises after approximately one year. The building reopened as a disco in 2000 under the name TJ Live House @ The Rex. It was later used by the Indian nightclub Amaran, which closed before the premises became vacant in 2007. In 2009, Narayanasamy Muthu, his son Senthil Kumar, and Malaysian business partner Murugan Soppurayan invested more than S$3 million in a renovation intended to restore the site as a cinema complex. The renovated venue contained three halls: a main auditorium originally described as having 700 seats, later reduced to 570, and two smaller halls with 82 seats each. The revived cinema concentrated primarily on Tamil and Hindi films, while also screening Malay-language productions. In August 2017, Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises and renamed the operation Rex Cinemas Mackenzie. The cinema ceased operations in July 2018. Its history reflects the changing economics of urban entertainment in Singapore, moving from single-screen cinema to concerts, ice skating, religious use, nightlife, and finally a multiplex-style film venue before closure.

Rex Cinemas Mackenzie occupied an Art Deco-style building on MacKenzie Road in Singapore. The site had previously contained the Singapore Boxing Stadium, which closed and was demolished in 1946. The theatre opened in 1964 as Rex Theatre, with The Jungle Book identified as its first screening. Its auditorium used a distinctive sloping arrangement in which the front and back stalls descended toward one another, improving the viewing angle for people seated near the screen. In 1967, the Shaw Organisation took over the cinema. Rex became particularly prominent in 1976, when it screened Earthquake with Sensurround, a system designed to reproduce simulated earthquake vibrations through the auditorium. The attraction helped the theatre draw one of its largest audiences. The venue later faced the broader pressures affecting traditional cinemas, including the spread of home video and videotape piracy, and closed as a cinema in 1983 after screening Jaws 3-D. Closure did not end the building's entertainment history. In 1985 it became a performance house for concerts by singers from Taiwan and Hong Kong. In 1989 it was converted into Fuji Ice Palace, an ice-skating rink that operated until 1993. Foo Chow Methodist Church used the premises temporarily in 1999 while its own church building underwent reconstruction and upgrading after being judged unsafe during tunnelling works for a Mass Rapid Transit line. The church moved back after about a year. The building reopened as TJ Live House @ The Rex in 2000 and functioned as a disco. It was later occupied by the Indian nightclub Amaran. After Amaran closed, the property was left vacant in 2007. In 2009, Narayanasamy Muthu, his son Senthil Kumar, and Malaysian partner Murugan Soppurayan invested more than S$3 million in renovation work. The restored cinema contained three halls: a main hall described as having 700 seats, later reduced to 570, and two smaller 82-seat halls. The renewed cinema focused mainly on Tamil and Hindi films, with Malay films also included in its programme. Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises in August 2017 and changed the name to Rex Cinemas Mackenzie. The cinema closed in July 2018, ending the building's documented run as a film venue. Across its history, Rex represented a flexible urban entertainment property rather than a continuously operating cinema brand, repeatedly adapting to changing audiences, technologies, and commercial conditions.

1. 2018Final closure

   Rex Cinemas Mackenzie ceased operations in July.

   Source
2. 2017Renamed Rex Cinemas Mackenzie

   Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises and introduced the Rex Cinemas Mackenzie name.

   Source
3. 2009Cinema redevelopment

   More than S$3 million was invested in renovations that created a three-hall cinema complex.

   Source
4. 2007Premises became vacant

   The building was left abandoned after Indian nightclub Amaran closed.

   Source
5. 2000TJ Live House @ The Rex opened

   The building reopened as a disco and live entertainment venue.

   Source
6. 1999Temporary church use

   Foo Chow Methodist Church temporarily used the building for worship services.

   Source
7. 1989Fuji Ice Palace opened

   The venue was converted into an ice-skating rink, which operated until 1993.

   Source
8. 1985Conversion to performance house

   The former cinema was used for concerts by performers from Taiwan and Hong Kong.

   Source
9. 1983Cinema closure

   Rex closed as a cinema, with Jaws 3-D reported as the final film.

   Source
10. 1976Sensurround screenings of Earthquake

    The theatre drew major crowds with Earthquake screenings enhanced by Sensurround simulated vibrations.

    Source
11. 1967Shaw Organisation takeover

    The Shaw Organisation assumed control of the cinema.

    Source
12. 1964Rex Theatre opened

    The venue opened as a cinema, with The Jungle Book reported as its first film screening.

    Source
13. 1946Singapore Boxing Stadium site cleared

    The former Singapore Boxing Stadium closed and was demolished, making way for later redevelopment of the site.

    Source

A centrally located Singapore entertainment venue whose identity evolved from an Art Deco cinema into a multi-use theatre, concert venue, ice rink, church, nightclub, and later a regional-language-focused cinema complex.

• Rex TheatreCinema1964

  The original cinema operation opened in 1964. It was known for its unusual auditorium layout and for screening mainstream films, including The Jungle Book at opening and Earthquake with Sensurround effects during its 1976 popularity peak.

• Rex Cinemas MackenzieCinema complex2009

  The post-2009 cinema complex contained three halls: a main auditorium and two smaller screens. Its programme emphasized Tamil and Hindi films, while also showing Malay films. The operation was renamed after Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises in 2017 and closed in 2018.

• Fuji Ice PalaceIce-skating rink1989

  From 1989, the former theatre operated as an ice-skating rink under the Fuji Ice Palace name. The rink ceased operations in 1993.

• 2017Carnival Cinemas acquisition and renamingM&A

  The cinema continued operating after its 2009 revival but changed ownership in 2017.

  What changed. Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises in August and renamed the operation Rex Cinemas Mackenzie.

  Aftermath. The renamed cinema ceased operations in July 2018.

  Source
• 2009Reinvestment in cinema operationsStrategy

  After the building had been used for nightlife and later stood vacant, investors sought to restore it as a cinema venue.

  What changed. More than S$3 million was invested in renovation, producing a three-hall cinema complex focused mainly on Tamil and Hindi films.

  Aftermath. The cinema resumed operations but ultimately closed in July 2018 after a later ownership and naming change.

  Renovation investment. More than S$3 million (2009)

  Source

• 2018Rex Cinemas Mackenzie ceased operations

  The cinema ended operations in July 2018.

  Other
  Source
• 2017Carnival Cinemas acquired and renamed the venue

  Carnival Cinemas acquired the premises in August and relaunched the operation under the name Rex Cinemas Mackenzie.

  M&A
  Source
• 2009Rex Theatre reopened after major renovation

  A group led by Narayanasamy Muthu, Senthil Kumar, and Murugan Soppurayan invested more than S$3 million to renovate the premises and return it to cinema use.

  Product launchOther
  Source
• 1983Rex Theatre closed as a cinema

  The cinema ceased operations amid the growth of home video and videotape piracy; Jaws 3-D was reported as the final film shown.

  Other
  Source
• 1967Shaw Organisation took over Rex Theatre

  The Shaw Organisation assumed control of the cinema several years after its opening.

  M&A
  Source

1. Rex Cinemas Mackenzie