Golden Village Funan – How Unique Is This Premium Experience?

When the new and revamped Funan Mall opened its doors to the public mid-2019, one of the most raved about places is the new Golden Village cinema that is located on the fifth floor of the mall.

The opening of Golden Village Funan marks the 14th multiplex opened in Singapore, and with so many cinemas located across our island, is it really worth it to travel to Funan to catch a movie? That was what I was tasked to find out.

Before my trip down, I discovered that GV Funan only has one hall with regular seats. The theatres at GV Funan cater for a more ‘premium’ experience, with bigger and leatherette seats in the Deluxe Plus, Gemini and Gold Class Express halls. This ties in with their concept, to create a premium yet reasonably-priced theatre experience for all.

I opted to watch a movie in the Deluxe Plus theatre. Before my movie, I had the opportunity to explore the cinema theatres to experience what GV Funan had to offer, and here’s what I learnt.

Gold Class Express- What’s The Difference?

We know what the Gold Class experience is like. But what about the Gold Class Express?

The seats in the Gold Class Express are the same as the typical GV Gold Class. Fully reclinable, with a table in the middle as well as charging ports and blankets. You won’t be compromising on comfortability when you watch a movie here. There is also complimentary bottled water and trail mix.

However, at GV Gold Class Express, there isn’t any butler service and you won’t get to dine on atas meals during your movie. There is also no Gold Class Lounge. There is, however, a Grab & Go Cafe which you can still order food though, through the GV app and food will still be delivered to you during your movie.

For S$3 less, I would say that watching a movie at Gold Class Express is definitely worth it. But if you prefer to have premium food from a Gold Class Lounge delivered to you in the middle of your movie, the S$3 more might be worth it.

Price: upwards of S$26(Monday to Wednesday), S$36(Thursday to Sunday). Prices may vary.

Leather Seats, Even In The Normal Theatres

The premium experience isn’t just limited to the Deluxe+ and Gold Class Express Halls. In GV Funan’s standard theatre, the familiar red suede seats everyone is familiar with is replaced with leatherette seats, giving that touch of luxury even if you were to watch your movie in the ‘budget’ seats.

The + In Deluxe+

What makes GV Funan’s Deluxe+ theatres different from the usual GV Deluxe? That was the biggest question in my mind entering the theatres. Alongside the question of why is it S$2 more expensive than other GV Deluxe options?

The Deluxe+ seats in GV Funan are able to recline up to 20 degrees backwards. It may not seem like much, but this feature will definitely come in handy when seating in the front few rows.

Unlike the normal Deluxe theatres in other GV cinemas, The seats in the Deluxe+ theatres each come with their own USB charging port. Never underestimate the amount of juice you can get into your power bank during a two-hour long movie.

Like the Gold Class Express, the Deluxe+ halls also provide free trail mix for you to enjoy during the movie.

My verdict is that Gold Class Deluxe may be worth it if you want to treat yourself, while Deluxe+ is good for you to recharge your phones as well as your bodies. Otherwise, I feel that the usual GV Deluxe seats are comfortable enough.

Price: S$17 (Monday to Thursday), S$22(Friday to Sunday)

A VR Experience, Whether Or Not You Watch A Movie

Have some time to kill before your movies? You can try out the VR pods as well. You can pay S$8 on weekdays and S$12 on weekends and you will get to try out the VR  pods for 15 minutes.

Upon purchasing the ticket, you can enter the VR pod. At the time of writing, there are currently three VR movies and three VR games available.

Before you put on the VR goggles, you have to put on one of these eye masks for hygiene purposes. Once you put on the goggles, a timer will start, beginning your fifteen minutes of game/movie duration. Should you encounter any technical difficulties, the staff will pause the timer and resolve it.

Price: S$8 (weekdays), S$12(weekends)

Once you put on the headset, you will find yourself immersed in the world of whichever game or movie you have picked. You will then be able to move your cursor around by moving your controller.

In this Spider-Man game, you are virtually transformed into the title superhero and through the googles, you can also fire “webs” with the controller in your hands.

Buy Your Favorite Movie Memorabilia

Ever wanted to own a life-sized Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet from Avengers? Now you can.

At GV Funan, tons of movie memorabilia are placed on display, and you can even purchase some of them. Sadly, the life-sized Pikachu is so rare, that it is not for sale.

The Verdict

Golden Village Funan does indeed provide a unique experience as compared to other cinema operators including other Golden Village Cinemas.

My personal opinion is that GV Funan is definitely worth a try and experience, however, just like other premium cinemas, if you were to catch a movie in one of the more expensive halls GV Funan has to offer, save your money for a lengthy film to get more bang for your buck.

Golden Village Funan: 107 North Bridge Road #05-01 Funan Mall, Singapore 179105 | Website | +65 6653 8100