April 15, 2025
Avinash Udeshi, Chief Operating Officer at Motivate Val Morgan, discusses how the record-breaking Eid al-Fitr cinema attendance signals an exceptional summer season ahead, and highlights cinema’s unmatched 2.5x efficiency as an advertising medium that delivers 15% of campaign impact with just 6% of media spend
As we emerge from an extraordinarily successful Eid al-Fitr period, the numbers clearly demonstrate what this means for our industry and the brands we partner with. The statistics are certainly impressive – but behind them lies a deeper story about audience engagement and the enduring power of cinema as a cultural touchpoint.
Our Motivate Val Morgan cinema circuit witnessed an astonishing 1,178,723 admissions across our regional network during the seven-day period from March 27 to April 2, 2025. This week – which included the four-day Eid al-Fitr celebration – delivered a 17% year-over-year increase and stands as our highest-grossing week of 2025 thus far.
Particularly fascinating is the contrast with the preceding week. Admissions skyrocketed by an extraordinary 1,230% compared to the final week of Ramadan (March 20-26). This dramatic “Eid effect” illustrates just how deeply cinema-going is woven into the fabric of regional celebrations.
The performance across GCC markets shows encouraging growth in all territories. The UAE market led with 575,147 admissions — representing a 25.5% increase from Eid al-Fitr 2024 — while Saudi Arabia contributed 416,318 admissions with a 4% year-over-year improvement. Together, these two crucial markets delivered 991,465 admissions, marking a 15.4% growth that reinforces cinema’s position as the preferred leisure activity during festive periods.
This success stems partly from the diversity of content showcased. In the UAE, Malayalam-language L2: Empuraan and Hindi feature Sikandar performed exceptionally alongside global titles like A Working Man and A Minecraft Movie. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabian audiences showed strong preference for Arabic-language productions including Shabab El Bomb 2 and Al Safa Thaanawia, complemented by healthy attendance for international releases..
With cinema attendance already reaching 7.1 million admissions year-to-date across our circuit, Motivate Val Morgan is uniquely positioned to deliver exceptional brand exposure throughout the second quarter. The upcoming Eid al-Adha celebration in early June, combined with the traditional summer blockbuster season, creates a perfect alignment of cultural occasion and premium content releases.
In today’s fragmented media landscape, cinema advertising delivers something increasingly rare: guaranteed viewership in a distraction-free environment.
Kantar’s & Val Morgan’s 2024 Media Reactions study confirms cinema’s exceptional effectiveness – despite receiving only 6% of media spend, it delivers 15% of total campaign impact per person. This 2.5x efficiency ratio consistently outperforms traditional and digital channels. The study also ranks cinema among the highest channels for ad equity among younger audiences, creating a receptive environment wherein advertising resonates deeply.
Particularly valuable is cinema’s ability to reach otherwise missed audiences – with 44% of reach incremental to TV, 31% incremental reach to digital and 18% completely incremental to both TV and digital. This captive audience approach delivers higher brand recall and emotional resonance, with message retention rates of up to 95% on certain campaigns, far surpassing other media channels.
Forward-thinking brands have already begun securing premium positioning during the upcoming summer slate, which features several anticipated franchise installments and original blockbusters expected to drive record attendance throughout our circuit.
The combination of Eid al-Adha and summer blockbuster season creates a perfect storm of audience engagement. For advertisers seeking meaningful consumer connections in an increasingly distracted marketplace, our cinema network offers the rare combination of attention, impact, and contextual relevance that simply can’t be replicated elsewhere.
Marketing leaders are invited to contact our Motivate Val Morgan sales team to discuss how we can secure premium positioning for their brands across our extensive cinema circuit during this exceptional convergence of cultural celebration and entertainment.
Source: CinePlan & CinemaMeasure: Eid Cinema Advertising report
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