Shaw Organisation

Shaw Theatres

Company Info

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About Company

Shaw Organisation is a film distribution company and movie theatre chain founded by brothers Runme Shaw and Run Run Shaw who went to Singapore in the 1920s to expand their family business founded by Runje Shaw. The company originally operated as a distributor for the Shaw brothers’ Tianyi Film Company (also called Unique) in Shanghai. Run Run Shaw later moved to Hong Kong in the 1950s to run Shaw Brothers Studio, whilst Runme Shaw stayed in Singapore to continue Shaw Organisation’s operations. Unlike Tianyi, Shaw Organisation does not produce films but distribute them in their theatres.

History

Shaw organisation has had a long history in Singapore since its founding in 1924. They bought the land which the Shaw House now stands in the year 1952. The plot of land was originally granted to William Scott in 1845. About 500,000 square feet of land was levelled original Shaw House and the adjacent Lido Theatre.

The company managed single-screen cinemas until the late 1980s, when it decided to build cineplexes to give more flexibility in offering different types of films. The first cineplexes built were the Prince and Jade cineplexes in Shaw Towers, opened in February 1988. Cineplexes have now become the standard for movie theatres offering varied shows for smaller crowds.

The Beginning

The Shaw Organisation was founded in 1924 when Tan Sri Runme Shaw (1901-1985) arrived in Singapore from Shanghai. He was the third of seven children of a Shanghai textile merchant, Shaw Yuh Hsuen (1867-1920).

In Shanghai, Runme’s eldest brother Runje Shaw had founded the Tianyi Film Company (aka Unique). Not satisfied with the domestic market, the Shaw brothers sought business opportunities elsewhere, especially South-East Asia. Runme, as distribution manager was tasked to search for a suitable investment city. Runme’s original destination was Indochina where he hoped to meet with the film distributors. However, he was denied permission to land there and instead, he ended up in Singapore, creating the Shaw Organisation. He was joined by his younger brother Sir Run Run Shaw two years later.

Amusement parks

After the Great Depression, the Shaws decided to diversify their risk by branching out from their entertainment business into areas like amusement parks. They brought in ideas from abroad and modelled the parks after those in Shanghai, which proved to be popular amongst the local population.

From the mid 30s to the 80s, Shaw operated two popular fairgrounds – the Great World Amusement Park and the New World Amusement Park.

Shaw Brothers

At its height, the company owned multiple movie theatres and amusement parks throughout Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo, and spawned Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong to feed its then-burgeoning operation.

Recent years

By August 2000, a computerised ticketing system developed jointly with Singapore Technologies was launched. This system linked all Shaw theatres into a single network for automated telephone credit card purchases. With her extensive infrastructure, Shaw is now the biggest distributor of Asian cinema. Today, it manages and runs 55 screens in 8 locations in Singapore.

Filmography

  • Movie Name

    Ratings

  • La taupe

    Drama,Mystery,Thriller

    7.1 /10
    Distributor | Distributor (2012) (Singapore) (theatrical)
  • Eastern Promises

    Crime,Drama,Mystery,Thriller

    7.7 /10
    Distributor | Distributor (2008) (Singapore) (theatrical)
  • 6.2 /10
    Distributor | Distributor (2014) (Singapore) (theatrical)
  • 7.1 /10
    Distributor | Distributor (2015) (Singapore) (theatrical)
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