A wicked good way to catch your favorite big-screen movies
Nowadays, there are so many ways to view content, from your phone to your laptop to your TV screen. But if you’re going to watch a movie that really “takes off” from the screen, you’ve got to GO BIG.
That’s how my wife and I caught Wicked, part one of the famed book-turned-musical-turned-blockbuster, at Opus Malls’ VIP Cinema in a preview.
First, you have to know that Opus Mall is the latest luxury shopping center opened last July by Robinsons Land Corp., side by side with its Bridgetowne Residences in Quezon City. It’s a six-level mall with plenty of dining and shopping opportunities, including Spatio, a concept department store with personal grooming and spa services, a bar, premium coffee stops and other indulgent goodies, and Bistro Group restos like Olive Garden, for those craving an Italian-American feast.
But tonight we’re there for Wicked, the long-awaited screen version of the Wizard of Oz retelling starring Ariana Grande/Cynthia Erivo. More on that later.
First, we’re led by Robinsons Movieworld general manager Bomboy Lim and Robinsons Malls senior marketing director Jess Zulueta III through the mall to the expansive cinema choices at Level 5. Not only are there three Opus Cinemas with Dolby 7.1 Sound, Laser Projection technology and 15-meter screens (all the Opus cinemas are this size, the biggest VIP screens in the country); there’s a special Family Cinema, the only place we know of where the cinema is bubblegum-scented and kids are allowed to sit on either seats or colorful couches, plus there’s a child-friendly sound system with ambient lighting.
At the peak, though, is the VIP Cinema, with Dolby Atmos Sound (state-of-the-art, perfect for action, adventure, horror, or the sound of whooshing broomsticks), a 15-meter screen, plus 56 fully-reclining leather seats set in Privacy Cocoons with separate USB charging ports and a service tablet.
Outside, there’s the elegant VIP Cinema Lounge, where, tonight, we’re served sangria, beer, wine or mocktails. (Yes, this trend of serving cocktails in VIP cinemas is here to stay!) Even the VIP Cinema lobby is grand: perfect for events, movie activations, and premieres.
Bomboy describes the VIP Cinema experience as “like business class”: “It’s a totally different experience from any other cinema venue. There’s privacy, but we make sure you’re not too far away from your viewing partner. You can share the thrill.” Not just the wide, reclining seats, but also the sound is elevated. “It’s really immersive. Sound is half the film, so we have the latest Dolby Atmos Sound System to make sure the sound experience is perfectly balanced, and it’s the same in every seat.”
Outside, people can relax and get not just popcorn, but real cocktails delivered to their seats. “We’re elevating the experience. We grew up on popcorn, soda, but as an adult, you might want to enjoy champagne, wine, beer.”
Jess’s first VIP Cinema screening was Deadpool and Wolverine. (“It was so comfortable, so exciting.”) Later, he streamed the same movie at home and realized, “It’s not the same experience! I think people are really going back to cinemas for a totally different, elevated experience you can’t get at home.”
Inside, we settled in for the screening. Having read the Gregory Maguire novel (which predates Harry Potter by two years), I never really “got” the Broadway musical version of Wicked, but director Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) pulls in on the two main characters, Elphaba (Erivo) and Galinda (Grande). The two meet up at Shiz University, a sorcery school where Elphaba’s green skin and Galinda’s self-entitled attempts at do-goodism quickly start to grate: whereas the stage version of songs like What Is This Feeling? can feel distant, here it’s done with a vibrant comic touch, proving once again that the Singer-to-Actor bullet train only moves in one direction (name an acclaimed Hollywood actor who’s later gone on to major pop stardom. Oh, I see, you can’t).
Even with the 1939-era title font reminding us this is only “Part 1,” Wicked is enough of an immersive ride to enjoy the details of Maguire’s world, even as it’s reduced, in a way, to the big screen.
Yes, it’s a teen-girl world, with all the well-worn teen concerns of popularity, crushing, makeovers and unexpected friendship. But it works (could be that immersive 15-meter VIP Cinema screen and Dolby Atmos sound…): we’re in.
Wicked highlights perennial concerns of feeling like an outsider, which can apply to any immigrant experience, or to overtones of fascism and scapegoating (in this case, an actual goat professor voiced by Peter Dinklage). That its Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) is played as a (SPOILER ALERT for those who’ve never seen Wicked!) charlatan with no real power who wants to use the kingdom’s spy apparatus to surveil on his own subjects and silence his critics feels, well… timely.
The film features Michelle Yeoh, hot off an Oscar win, and Bridgerton’s Jonathan Bailey in supporting roles that become clearer as we head towards the culminating split before Part 2, which only arrives a year from now. Sure, Wicked is a marketing blitz among other things, but it’s also hella fun, for the most part. And it looks great on a big screen.
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Wicked is out now. Visit movieworld@robinsonsland.com for cinema reservations. Visit Opus Mall in Bridgtowne
