Cinema formats in Malaysia, and which chain has which

A showtime on this site is tagged with the hall it plays in whenever that hall is not the chain’s ordinary one: IMAX, Dolby Atmos, 4DX, or one of the names each chain gives its own premium halls, like Beanieplex or Indulge at TGV and BIG or Getha Lux Suites at GSC. Some of those names are self-explanatory. Most are not. This page says what each one is, and the table counts, from this week’s listings, which chains actually run it and at how many cinemas.

Every format in this week’s listings

Counted from the sessions listed right now, so it changes as the chains change. A format that no cinema is running this week is not in the table.

Picture and sound formats

IMAX is the one most people know: a taller, wider screen with IMAX’s own projection and sound, and films mastered for it. Both GSC and TGV run IMAX halls; some of TGV’s newer sites use IMAX with Laser, its 4K laser projection with 12-channel sound.

Dolby Atmos is sound rather than picture. Speakers on the ceiling as well as the walls let sound move around and above the audience instead of along a row of channels. It is often combined with a large-format hall: GSC’s BIG halls and TGV’s Infinity halls are both Atmos.

Onyx is a cinema LED wall in place of a projector and screen. Blacks are black rather than dark grey, and the picture stays bright even with the lights up. GSC opened Malaysia’s first, and TGV has one too.

ScreenX extends the picture onto the side walls for selected scenes, a 270-degree view. It plays at GSC.

Motion seats

4DX seats move with the film and add wind, water and scent effects; in Malaysia it is a GSC format. MX4D does the same job with a different maker’s seats, also at GSC. D-BOX is motion only: the seat moves, nothing sprays. All three are sold as a separate ticket for the same film.

Each chain’s large-format hall

GSC BIG is GSC’s own premium large format, launched in 2022 with Hong Leong Bank: a screen over 20 metres wide, 4K laser projection and a 32-channel Dolby Atmos setup. It is replacing the chain’s older MAXX halls, which were simply its biggest screens. TGV Infinity is TGV’s equivalent, with Dolby Atmos.

Infinity Vision is a certification rather than a hall. The Walt Disney Company created it for premium large-format halls that meet a standard: a screen at least 45 feet wide, Dolby 7.1 or immersive sound such as Dolby Atmos, and a minimum brightness. It began in September 2026 with Avengers: Endgame Encore, and Avengers: Doomsday is next. GSC and TGV each have certified halls, and Mega and 10 Star list sessions as Infinity Vision too. It is not the same thing as TGV Infinity, and a certified hall keeps its own name, so a session can carry both: TGV’s and Mega’s certified Atmos halls are tagged Atmos and Infinity Vision.

Premium and family halls, by chain

GSC

• Premiere Class: a premium hall with spacious seats, trays, and its own lounge and toilets.
• Prestige: a roomier hall a step above the standard one.
• PLS: GSC’s premium seat tier, sold as a better seat in front of the same screen.
• Play: halls designed for families with children.
• Velvet: dinner, drinks and a film in one place.
• Getha Lux Suites, at the Aurum Theatre: two-motor recliners in Getha’s cushioning, with a mini fridge, wireless charging and dimmable lights.
• Comfort Cabins, at the Aurum Theatre: the classic Gold Class recliner, with a privacy panel around it.
• Escape Studios, at the Aurum Theatre: themed halls with a mix of recliners, sofas and four-seaters.

TGV

• Deluxe: TGV’s standard hall. Sessions in it carry no tag on this site.
• Beanieplex: beanbags instead of seats.
• Junior: a family hall with a children’s play zone alongside it.
• Indulge: oversized recliners, dining at the seat and a private lounge.
• Indulge Bed: a bed cinema, a king-sized bed with full dining service.
• Indulge Berex: the bed cinema on Coway BEREX smart mattresses, at Suria KLCC.

Mega Cineplex

• VIP Suite: semi-private leather recliners with a table and USB charging.
• Premier and Elite: the chain’s premium halls. Mega lists them without describing them, so this site does not guess.

Dadi

• Giant Screen and LilSTAR: two of the eight halls at Dadi Central Square, named in its listings; the other six are Standard. Dadi lists them without describing them, so this site does not guess.

FST, Amerin, Paragon, TSR, AE Cinemas, One Cinemas, 10 Star, Blockbuster and Grand Cineplex list their sessions without hall names beyond the ordinary 2D and 3D, so their premium seats, where they have them, are priced at the counter rather than tagged here.

On this site

The tag on a showtime pill is the hall as the chain labels it. The showtimes page can be filtered to a single format, so “every IMAX session of one film across every chain” is one search away, which is a question no chain’s own site can answer. Each cinema’s own page lists the formats it runs.

Sources

• GSC Cinema Experiences, Golden Screen Cinemas.
• GSC BIG cinema debuts at Starling Mall, Hitech Century, October 2022.
• All to know about TGV Pavilion Damansara Heights, TGV Cinemas.
• Infinity, TGV Cinemas.
• VIP Suite, Mega Cineplex.
• INFINITY VISION, Golden Screen Cinemas.
• All to know about Avengers: Endgame Encore, TGV Cinemas.

Also in the guides: what the U, P12, 13, 16 and 18 ratings mean and how booking works at each chain.