I’ve wanted to try the outdoor cinema experience of The Grounds at AIA Vitality Park, which incorporates a giant LED screen, state of the art sound system & hi-tech stage, and bringing a selection of entertainment options to the Hong Kong Harbourfront for you to enjoy from the comfort and safety of your own private pod.
But my friends were a bit wishy-washy about whether they wanted to go or not and I couldn’t book only one seat – they allowed a minimum of one pod per booking, which has 4 seats.
But then, someone in a WhatsApp group chat I’m in posted about some new movies that were opening for December, and when I saw that Elvis – which released this year and which I had missed seeing in the cinema – was getting shown on December 3, well I wasn’t about to let that pass me by.
So I asked if anyone wanted to join me, and someone suggested just booking the whole pod first before they ran out of tickets, because they go by fast, and for sure I’ll find someone to join me. So I followed her advice and sure enough, she was right!
So last night, I showed up at The Grounds and said hello to these women for the first time (except for one, actually, whom I had met a couple of weeks earlier at Thanksgiving dinner).
I am so glad I sprang for the more expensive pod which had soft cushions for seats! I had actually done a movie under the stars experience in Singapore before which was good but ultimately tiring because we had no seats and had to prop ourselves up on our blankets on the grass.
This one was way better not just because we had cushions but also the weather was nice and cool, and we could order food from a QR code and they delivered to our pod! We all ordered burgers from Honbo (you could choose from a few different restaurants). You also had an option to order a whole bottle of Prosecco which came with glasses and free popcorn and couple of canned juices.
Now as for the movie – I thought Austin Butler did a fantastic job acting as Elvis. Disclaimer – I am not a fan of Elvis because he died before I was born, so I don’t know how accurate the portrayal is, actually, but what I mean is he did a good job showing me, someone who did not know the guy, why he was a big deal. And my heart really broke when I saw what happened to him in the end.
I am really glad that I grabbed the opportunity to go this event because it was definitely a great way to watch a movie! I hope they show more movies next month, I’d love to go back!
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