Grove Mall cinema disappoints

After the recent opening of the Ster-Kinekor cinema complex at the Grove Mall of Namibia, viewers lined up early on Friday to secure their seats. One film in specific, ‘Furious 7’, had been on the lips of many Namibians and all the tickets sold out earlier that day. However, things didn’t quite turn out the way many thought it would. One of the disappointed customers, Eljaroe Beukes, said: “After I got my popcorn I entered the cinema and to my surprise I found some people sitting on the floor. I looked at my ticket and didn’t see any seat number. As I glanced across the theatre I couldn’t find a single vacant seat, so I sat on the steps.” Another viewer said: “It’s a great movie and yes, my butt hurts but it was awesome.” The manager of the Grove Mall Ster-Kinekor, Jennifer Beukes, told Namibian Sun that the ticketing system was not working yet and tickets were being issued manually as a temporarily solution. She said because the demand for the movie was so high viewers who had bought tickets to see other films snuck into the cinema and caused inconvenience to legitimate ticket holders, not to mention a fire hazard by blocking the exits. “We have upgraded our security systems since Friday and have identified certain individuals and offered them a free ticket to any screening of their choice,” Beukes said. She apologised for any inconvenience caused and assured the public that it would not happen again. WINDHOEK GARWIN BEUKES