Motivate Val Morgan | Yearly Wrap-Up | 2022

The cinema industry successfully ushered global audiences back into theatre in 2022 largely owing to the steadier flow of blockbusters in comparison to 2021, with Top Gun: Maverick, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Avatar: The Way of Water leading the long list of successful titles this year.

 

While 2021 was a dress rehearsal for the future of cinemas, 2022 has proved that cinema is back for real. This was especially evident in Saudi Arabia, when the country overtook Italy in annual box office revenue (in US$ terms), highlighting the prominence of cinema in the region.

Box office in 2022 had its first test with Scream which grossed nearly US$1M in the UAE alone and marked the successful return of the horror genre in the region since the pandemic. This was followed by the chartbuster performance of Matt Reeve’s The Batman, which earned a combined US$12M in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, which earned US$6.7M in the UAE.

Summer blockbusters highly contributed to the recovery of the global box office in 2022, with Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick grossing a combined US$21.2M in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and over US$1.5 billion globally. Jurassic World: Dominion and Minions: The Rise of Gru also performed well, grossing over US$1.7M and US$1.64M in UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively.

August to October was a challenging phase for cinemas in the region due to a weaker movie release schedule owing to pandemic-related delays. The year however ended on a high note with the release of James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, which earned close to US$10M in the UAE in its opening weeks. Arabic titles such as Bahebek, 3amohom, and Men Agl Zeko also topped the 2022 charts across GCC.

Here’s our 2022 wrap-up featuring the top movie releases in the eight countries we cover, the most watched genres across the region, the top 15 cinema ads booked through us that lit up the big screen, and last but not least, the new cinema locations added to our circuit and our milestones:

 

Top Five Movies – By Country

 

UAE

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Doctor Strange: in the Multiverse of Madness
  3. Avatar: The Way of Water
  4. Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
  5. Thor: Love and Thunder

 

Saudi Arabia

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  3. 3amohom (Egyptian)
  4. Men Agl Zeko (Arabic)
  5. The Batman

 

Egypt

  1. Kera We El Gin (Egyptian)
  2. Wahed Tany (Arabic)
  3. 3amohom (Egyptian)
  4. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  5. Al Gareema (Arabic)

 

Oman

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  3. Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
  4. Avatar: The Way of Water
  5. Jurassic World Dominion

 

Kuwait

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
  3. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  4. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  5. 3amohom (Egyptian)

 

Bahrain

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  3. Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
  4. Black Adam
  5. The Batman

 

Qatar

  1. Top Gun: Maverick
  2. Minions 2: The Rise of Gru
  3. Jurassic World Dominion
  4. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  5. Black Adam

 

Lebanon 

  1. Bahebek (Egyptian)
  2. Al Hayba (Arabic)
  3. Taraf Talet (Lebanese)
  4. Top Gun: Maverick
  5. Doctor Strange: in the Multiverse of Madness

 

Most Watched Genres – Regional

 

Wrap Genres 2022

 

Top 15 Cinema Ads

 

The 15 blockbuster ads (in no particular order) – booked through Motivate Val Morgan, that lit up the big screen in 2022 (also featured in Campaign Middle East):

 

Brand: Mercedes-Benz Burmester
Title: Innovations by Mercedes-Benz: Dolby Atmos
Media Agency: OMD

 

 

Brand: NEOM
Title: Trojena – Journey To New Heights
Media Agency: Starcom

 

 

Brand: Emirates
Title: Gerry the Goose Flies Better
Media Agency: UM MENA

 

 

Brand: Rolex
Title: Rolex & Cinema – The Path
Media Agency: Mindshare

 

 

Brand: Sephora
Title: Amna Al Qubaisi – Emirati F3 Driver – Redefining Beauty with Sephora
Media Agency: Spark Foundry – Publicis Media

 

 

Brand: Malabar Gold
Title: Brides of India

 

 

Brand: Hermès
Title: Terre d’Hermès
Media Agency: Havas Media

 

 

Brand: Thailand Tourism
Title: Amazing Thailand
Media Agency: Media Republic

 

 

Brand: Hayatna
Title: Grow Your World With Hayatna
Media Agency: Hearts & Science

 

 

Brand: Riyadh Book Fair
Media AgencyBlue Horizon

 

 

Brand: Infiniti QX60
Title: Take the Wheel
Media Agency: OMD

 

 

Brand: Jindal Shadeed
Media AgencyUnited Media Services

 

 

Brand: Theeb

 

 

Brand: Yas Island
Title: Yas Yas Baby
Media Agency: Initiative Media

 

 

Brand: Al Nahdi Pharmacies

 

 

Cinema Circuit Growth

 

2022 saw our cinema circuit expand with several new locations:

 

MVMCCG

 

  1. Muvi Cinemas (KSA): The View, Atelier La Vie, Mujan Park, Al-Yasmin Mall, Tala Mall (Boutique), Boulevard Riyadh and Park Avenue
  2. AMC Cinemas (KSA) – Garden, Tabuk Boulevard and The Walk
  3. Cinépolis Cinemas (KSA) – Al Hokair Time, Al Massarah
  4. Cinépolis Cinemas (Bahrain) – Amwaj Islands
  5. Reel Cinemas (KSA) – The Granada Mall

 

Milestone

 

Our dedicated cinema buying platformCinePlan and CineMeasure, was launched, which enables data-driven, audience-based buying across our network of cinemas in the Middle East. The platform was also recognized as one of Campaign Middle East’s Top 10 Media Milestones of 2022.

 

 

Blockbusters to Look Forward to in 2023

 

Get ready for an exciting year at the movies in 2023! Here are the top 20 movies to look forward to over the year ahead:

  1. Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania – February
  2. Creed III – March
  3. 65 – March
  4. Shazam! Fury of the Gods – March
  5. John Wick: Chapter 4 – March
  6. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – March
  7. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – May
  8. Fast X – May
  9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – June
  10. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – June
  11. The Flash – June
  12. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – June
  13. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Part One – July
  14. Oppenheimer – July
  15. The Marvels – July
  16. Barbie – July
  17. Dune: Part Two – November
  18. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes – November
  19. Wonka – December
  20. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – December

For more on the movies coming out in 2023, be sure to check out our sizzle reel