GSCinemas releases “HELLO. Cannot.” merch
“Hello. Cannot.” are two words that Malaysians are more than familiar with. Whether it’s to remind someone not to flout a rule or to put our disagreeing friends in place, it fits well into any situation that warrants a firm stance on something.
Recently, GSCinemas took these two words to a whole new level during the MCO. This comes after they hilariously responded “HELLO. Cannot,” to those questioning new SOPs for cinemas – in particular, new rules about keeping a social distancing gap between occupied seats that was putting a roadblock on couples and friends wanting to sit together.
Taking it a step further after their response went viral on Facebook, GSCinemas have now come up with new “HELLO. Cannot.” merch, including T-shirts and masks. And it’s having netizens coming out in full force with the jokes and even requesting a full line of merch with the same printed words.
Social distancing at cinemas leads to fun merch
GSCinemas took to their official Facebook page on 30th June 2020 to stomp out any requests from customers trying to stay seated together during the RMCO. This was after they heard questions such as “From same house, cannot ah?” and “Can sit on my lap ah?” raised by Malaysians looking to worm their way out of the new social distancing cinema seat guidelines that put an empty space between each seat.
The Facebook post quickly went viral – garnering over 49,000 reactions and 27,000 likes at the time of writing – with introverts loving the new concept of sitting alone and others just glad to enjoy cinemas cleared of rowdy moviegoers. But it had many more chuckling over GSCinemas’ firm response to people looking to bend the rules: “HELLO. Cannot.”
Image adapted from: GSCinemas
To give their followers a little treat for their enthusiastic support, GSCinemas announced limited-edition T-shirts for sale on Lazada for RM29.90 a piece on 17th July. And it just so happened to feature their new hilarious tagline, “HELLO. Cannot.”, on a plain black T-shirt.
The shirt was so popular among Malaysians that it sold out within the day, and had to be re-released the next day. It’s currently sold out again.
Image credit: GSCinemas
But those who missed out on the T-shirts can now get their hands on a Reusable Face Mask (RM20 each) that also features the famous line “HELLO. Cannot.” on the front of the mask. It’s available now for pre-order, with shipment expected between 5th-15th August – so you can now plan in advance when to wear your new fashion piece out.
Image credit: GSCinemas
Netizens don’t hold back on the jokes over new merch
GSCinemas’ post that announced the new line of face masks has since garnered over 387 shares and 3,000 reactions at the time of writing, with many netizens excited to welcome the new merch item. But it had a few wondering if GSCinemas was now a boutique or a cinema with the fashion items they have lined up in stores.
Image adapted from: Catherine EM
But the merch seemed to not be enough for some, with netizens coming out to ask for even more variations of “HELLO. Cannot.” fashion items. I-cay II commented, “HELLO, where is HELLO CANNOT phone case?” while Lai Vinc-Yuee added, “We need HELLO. CANNOT. pants to complete the set now.”
Image adapted from: GSCinemas
Adopting another popular phrase familiar in Malaysia – from eccentric TV character Phua Chu Kang – GCinemas had another witty response to a netizen who questioned the face mask’s price point: “Hello. Certified one ok. High quality one. Don’t play play.”
Image adapted from: GSCinemas
GSCinemas now has “HELLO. Cannot.” merch for Malaysian moviegoers
Malaysian government is currently discussing making face masks mandatory while we’re out and about during the RMCO, as reported by the New Straits Times.
So these new “HELLO. Cannot” face masks by GSCinemas might just come in handy for those wanting a permanent fashion piece. They’ll surely turn heads and even earn a few chuckles from passers-by who have been enjoying the jokes from our local cinema.
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Cover image adapted from: GSCinemas (left), GSCinemas (right)