After a decade without a cinema, Chinatown is getting a new theater at Oriental Plaza while Lucky Chinatown mall near the MRT station may be redeveloped into a hotel, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Shaw Oriental Refurbishment Ends in Early 2027
- Refurbishment work at Shaw Oriental in New Bridge Road is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027.
- Far East Organization has submitted a preliminary development proposal to rezone Lucky Chinatown from commercial to hotel use.
Shaw Oriental Returns to New Bridge Road
A cinema is set to return to Chinatown after a 10-year absence on the site of the former Oriental Theatre, The Straits Times reported. The venue will operate as Shaw Oriental inside Oriental Plaza, which is currently in the final stages of refurbishment.
The building is owned by Shaw Organisation and sits on a freehold site. Shaw Organisation declined to comment on the project. However, CBRE, which is marketing commercial units for the property, stated on its website that refurbishment works are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2027.
The redeveloped property will house the only cineplex in Chinatown. The building will feature four storeys of dining, retail, and entertainment spaces, alongside basement parking.
Chinatown has lacked a cinema since the Yangtze theatre at Pearls Centre closed in 2016. That building was subsequently demolished to make way for the construction of the Thomson-East Coast Line.
Historical Context and Resident Perspectives
The site where Shaw Oriental stands originally hosted the Palacegay Theatre, which opened in 1921. It was later renamed the Oriental Theatre and purchased by Shaw around 1940 before being redeveloped into Oriental Plaza in the early 1990s.
A two-hall cinema operated at Oriental Plaza from 1993 to 2000. Having lived in Chinatown for 40 years and collecting cinematic memorabilia personally, Wong Han Min expressed that bringing a movie theater back to the neighborhood would benefit local inhabitants.
“However, the cinema would need to attract moviegoers from beyond Chinatown,” Wong told The Straits Times, noting that the heyday of the area’s cinemas was in the 1950s and 1960s.
During that era, the district housed three distinct cinemas—Oriental, Majestic, and Metropole—which enjoyed high attendance. Wong said that unless Shaw Oriental distinguishes itself by screening art-house, dialect, or restored Chinese films, it may mirror other central Singapore cineplexes.
Shaw Oriental Could Target Local Lifestyle Needs
Catherine He, Colliers’ head of research for Singapore, suggested that Shaw Oriental could position itself as a modern lifestyle destination rather than competing with tourist retail. “A curated mix of dining, entertainment and everyday services can serve the area’s often-overlooked local catchment,” she told The Straits Times.
He added that the cinema should act as a footfall driver during evenings and weekends. Particularly on weekends and during evening hours, the theater is anticipated to serve as a vital source of visitor traffic, boosting visit durations and creating extra demand for food and beverage options inside the shopping center as well as along Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road.
Redevelopment Plans for Lucky Chinatown
Farther along New Bridge Road, Lucky Chinatown may soon make way for a hotel. Far East Organization’s executive director for property services, Marc Boey, informed The Straits Times that his company had put forward a formal development scheme to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).
“The proposal is at a preliminary stage, and there is no redevelopment timeline at this point,” Boey said.
The URA published a proposed masterplan amendment on October 30 to rezone Lucky Chinatown from commercial to hotel use. An adjacent plot is also slated for rezoning from utility to commercial use to facilitate the development proposal.
Completed around 1992, Lucky Chinatown features seven retail floors, including three basements, situated next to the Chinatown MRT station exit on Pagoda Street. Boey confirmed that the shopping centre remains open and that the organization will engage tenants early once plans become clearer.
Colliers’ He said that converting Lucky Chinatown into a hotel is a pragmatic move given the area’s tourism and heritage focus. Mid-size malls face steep competition from e-commerce, suburban malls, and local shophouse dining, while city-fringe hotel supply remains limited.
“A hotel, ideally with active ground-floor retail and F&B offerings, would capture visitor demand directly and generate a more resilient income stream than the existing retail format,” He said.
