Summer is officially upon us!
As the temperature reaches fever pitch over the months ahead and outdoor activities become close to impossible, cinema offers an ideal escape from the heat. Cool down by sipping a cold soda or an icy slush, indulge in deliciously flavoured popcorn and watch some of the best content the industry has to offer.
Q1 2019 witnessed the release of a number of blockbusters – from M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller Glass, Bollywood’s first rap-based movie Gully Boy and a record-breaking comedy-adventure movie Total Dhamaal, to sci-fi blockbuster Alita: Battle Angel and Oscar winner Jordan Peele’s US.
No doubt those movies were big, but what lies ahead is even bigger!
At the start of Q2, we watched Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame sink the Titanic (1997) to gain the spot of being the second highest grossing movie of all-time. With the remaining months of Q2 and Q3 set to deliver an array of blockbusters – rom-coms, animation, horror, thriller, superhero sagas and much more, get ready to be blown away!
Here’s our compilation of must watch movies over Summer 2019:
Aladdin – Releasing on May 23rd 2019
Godzilla: King of the Monsters – Releasing on May 30th 2019
Ma – Releasing on May 30th 2019
The Hustle – Releasing on June 6th 2019
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – Releasing on June 6th 2019
Dark Phoenix – Releasing on June 6th 2019
Bharat (Hindi) – Releasing on June 6th 2019
Rocketman – Releasing on June 13th 2019
Shaft – Releasing on June 13 2019
The Zoya Factor– Releasing on June 13th 2019
*Awaiting the release of the trailer
Toy Story 4 – Releasing on June 20 2019
Men in Black: International – Releasing on June 20th 2019
Yesterday – Releasing on June 27th 2019
Annabelle Comes Home – Releasing on June 27th 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home – Releasing on July 4th 2019
The Lion King – Releasing on July 18th 2019
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw – Releasing on August 1st 2019
Artemis Fowl – Releasing on August 8th 2019
Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Releasing on August 8th 2019
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – Releasing on August 15th 2019
It: Chapter Two – Releasing on September 5th 2019
Please Note: Movie release dates are subject to change.
What does this mean for brands/advertisers?
Reach out to a larger and more captive audience – who rather be cooling down indoors over a movie.
Capitalize on re-targeting audiences as they re-visit cinemas to watch not one but multiple movies over summer – which also leads to greater brand recall.
Don’t miss out on giving your brand the best screen treatment it deserves this summer. Contact a member of the sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities.
We are often asked if the month of Ramadan witnesses a slight drop in admissions. Our analysis shows that in some years, the admissions over the month of Ramadan is higher in comparison to some other months within a respective year.
English & Arabic Monthly Admissions (%) by Year – UAE:
Movies that released during the month of Ramadan (2016 – 2019) with good admissions in the UAE:
Finding Dory
Release Date – 16th June 2016
Admissions – Over 384K
The Mummy
Release Date – 8th June 2017
Admissions – Over 289K
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Release Date – 25th May 2017
Admissions – Over 286K
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Release Date – 07th June 2018
Admissions – Over 539K
Aladdin
Release Date – 23rd May 2019
Admissions – Over 790K
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Release Date – 30th May 2019
Admissions – Over 116K
John Wick- Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 252K
X-Men: Dark Phoenix
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 118K
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Release Date – 5th June 2019 (EID Weekend)
Admissions – Over 110K
Movies releasing over Ramadan in 2020:
Black Widow
Release Date – 30th April 2020
Forecasted Admissions – Over 600K
Movies releasing over EID Weekend 2019:
F9
Release Date – 21st May 2020
Forecasted Admissions – Over 700K
Movie session times in the UAE will remain unchanged during the month of Ramadan.
As a general rule, eating and drinking in public during daylight hours is strictly prohibited, however, the rules for the various cinemas across UAE do alter a bit during the holy month.
Here’s what each of the major cinema players has advised on their policies:
Roxy Cinemas – food and beverage would continue to be served at all of their locations as normal.
Reel Cinemas – open for takeaway only, however cinemagoers will be permitted to eat or drink in the screenings all day. At the Reel Cinemas in Jebel Ali, selected beverages will be available post-Iftar.
VOX Cinemas – During fasting hours, food will only be allowed inside the cinema auditorium but not in the THEATRE by Rhodes and GOLD by Rhodes lounges. Pre-Iftar, all food will be served take-away style and delivered to the customers at their seats insides the cinema
Contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising opportunities across UAE, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Sources: What’s On and MVM Analysis
San Diego Comic Con 2018 is over, but there was more than enough exciting news and amazing trailers to keep us going until next year.
Missed out on following the latest updates from this year’s Comic Con? Don’t stress! From the first look at the Aquaman movie and pictures of Wonder Woman 2, to the official trailer of The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Glass, we’ve got you covered!
Aquaman
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
Fans have been longing for a glimpse into the world of Arthur Curry, a young lad who grows up to be the king of Atlantis, and James Wan has dished up a preview that’s left everyone gagging for more. Make no mistake: this is not your standard comic book movie fare!
The Lucky attendees at this year’s Comic Con got a glimpse at a slapdash cut of the Aquaman trailer, and now, the rest of the world has been gifted the finished product – which is absolutely glorious!
What makes the trailer so exciting is that everyone involved looks like they’re having a blast! Jason Momoa – hands down, was born to play this role with his devil-may-care attitude, wry one-liners and willingness to dive head first into the ocean, and Amber Heard totally rocks the redhead female lead role of Lady Mera!
Photo Credit – Warner Bros.
The trailer also gives fans a glimpse of Nicole Kidman as Aquaman’s mother (Queen Atlanna), and Patrick Wilson in his full aquatic regalia as the villainous King Orm.
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
Photo Credit – Entertainment Weekly
James Wan also mentioned at San Diego Comic Con 2018, that this movie is more of a “science-fiction fantasy film than a traditional superhero movie.” His passion for the film is clear in every single shot. His vision makes the underwater world look like an adventure playground and a vibrant, diverse landscape.
Aquaman is scheduled for release in December 2018.
Wonder Woman 1984
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
We may have a while to wait for Wonder Woman 2 (AKA Wonder Woman 1984), but there’s more than enough reasons to be talking about the much-anticipated sequel.
The secret footage released at Comic Con 2018:
Photo Credit: Warner Bros.
Wonder Woman was one of the best movies of 2017, and as per the reviews by those who witnessed the first look at the still in production movie at Comic Con 2018 (which unfortunately isn’t open to the public and won’t be online), we can expect to see Diana Prince delivering as great a performance in Wonder Woman 1984.
According to those who were lucky enough to see the footage of Wonder Woman 1984, it was brief, but fun. Wonder Woman jumps into a very ‘80s, bright white mall. A little girl is stunned to see her and comes up behind her. “Wow,” she exclaims. Diana says “hold tight” and gently pushes her across the floor into a giant teddy bear as the girl laughs.
When she turns around there are two bad guys with guns pointed at her. Wonder Woman gives them like a “really guys?” look, runs up to them, grabs their arms, takes the guns from them, and crushes the weapons. She then breaks out the lasso, wraps them both up in it, and runs through the mall dragging them behind. She then jumps through the mall hanging them over a railing. The title card “WW84″ popped up, followed by a shot of her running very, very, fast through a busy city street.
The Wonder Woman 1984 cast features a few surprises:
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
Not so shocking is the return of Gal Gadot as Princess Diana/Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, but the rest of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast is raising a few eyebrows… Not only is Diana’s love interest and leading man from the first movie, Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), returning, but Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) and aunt General Antiope (Robin Wright) will also make an appearance. Why is this so shocking? Well – spoilers for Wonder Woman if you haven’t seen it yet – both Steve and Antiope are dead by the end of the film, and while Hippolyta is alive, she’s on the island of Themyscira to which Diana “may never return”. So how do they show up in Wonder Woman 1984? Especially considering it’s set in the ‘80s. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
As for the rest of the Wonder Woman 1984 cast, Kristen Wiig is joining as the villainous Cheetah, AKA Barbara Minerva, an archaeologist who is imbued with the powers of a cheetah-god. Patty Jenkins announced the news via Twitter saying: “So excited to confirm the most thrilling news. Yes! It’s true. So incredibly lucky to welcome the sensationally talented Kristen Wiig to our Wonder Woman family. Can’t wait to finally work with one of my favorites. And SO excited by what we have planned.”
Wonder Woman 1984 is scheduled to release in November 2019.
Glass
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass also debuted at San Diego Comic Con 2018.
The third movie in a surprise trilogy, which started with 2000’s Unbreakable and continued with Split in 2006, Glass sees Samuel L. Jackson’s Mr. Glass, Bruce Willis’ David Dunn, and James McAvoy’s The Horde collide in a psychiatric unit run by new character Dr. Ellie Staple, played by Sarah Paulson.
The trailer itself is one of the best released during Comic Con so far, and is a real treat for fans of either Unbreakable or Split, but there’s probably more connections between the two movies in the teaser than you first noticed. It goes without saying that Shyamalan has been thinking about this trilogy for a while and a lot of the references and connections are so subtle, there’s no way you’d realize what you were seeing unless someone pointed it out to you.
Split’s Anya Taylor-Joy returns as Casey Cooke, a survivor of The Beast, and returning Unbreakable cast members include Spencer Treat Clark and Charlayne Woodard as Dunn’s son and Price’s mother, respectively. American Horror Story’s Sarah Paulson rounds out the cast as a shrink who treats Dunn, Price and Crumb.
The main cast (aside from McAvoy who unfortunately couldn’t make it due to illness) joined Shyamalan onstage to show off footage from the movie and to field questions. The trailer showcased McAvoy’s wide-ranging performance as Crumb and the multiple identities who reside within him.
Glass is scheduled to release in January 2019.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
Photo Credits: Warner Bros.
Comic Con 2018 also gave us the first look at the Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald which dropped during Warner Bros’ Hall H panel at Comic Con 2018.
Not only does the trailer show us a young Newt and Dumbledore at Hogwarts, but it also gives us a good look at villain Grindelwald, played by Johnny Depp, who also turned up in Hall H. There’s lots to love about this trailer – all those fantastic beasts!
The trailer ended with a surprising meeting with Nicolas Flamel, a famous alchemist central to the backstory of the Harry Potter books. Thankfully, Warner Bros. released the trailer online shortly after it debuted at Comic Con 2018.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is scheduled to release in November 2018.
Shazam!
One thing was immediately clear about Shazam! during the film’s Comic-Con panel: after years of dreary and dark comic book tales, here is a film that looks like it puts fun first and foremost – it’s a clear and confident case of course correction, and the trailer makes it look like a blast!
Shazam! is built around a charming premise: what if a pre-teen boy named Billy Batson was granted mystical powers from an ancient wizard and could transform in a musclebound superhero just by uttering his name? That’s wish fulfillment personified and Zachary Levi, who plays the “adult” version of the character, said that is the main appeal. “This is 14-year old me who got to put on spandex and a cape and fly around.” The whole movie is a childhood fantasy brought to life.
According to director David Sandberg, who debuted with the horror film Lights Out before helming the Annabelle: Creation, Shazam’s suit is an amalgamation of nearly every incarnation of the Captain Marvel character. “I wanted to keep the shorter cape as a throwback to the original because that’s something that sets him apart from Superman or Batman,” he told Entertainment Weekly in the lead up to SDCC. “It makes him feel a bit more Golden Age superhero, which is the vibe I’m going for.” The movie design also includes a hood from DC’s 2011 New 52, and the gold gauntlets from his DC Animation appearances.
Shazam! is scheduled to release in April 2019.
Venom
Photo Credits – socialnews.xyz
Marvel Studios might not have dominated, but that doesn’t mean they were completely absent from San Diego Comic Con 2018.
Director Ruben Fleischer said that there aren’t really any heroes in the superhero movie Venom, who is a grittier, more violent and more complicated character than his Marvel brethren.
This year’s Comic Con attendees got a look at footage from the upcoming Spider-Man spinoff and heard stars Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed as well.
Hardy plays Eddie Brock and the alien symbiote Venom. Fleischer also teased the possibility of an eventual face-off between Spider-Man and Venom. The film is scheduled for release in October 2018.
Sony Pictures also showed and extended trailer for the animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, out December 2018, which focuses on Miles Morales learning the spidey ropes from a middle-aged Peter Parker.
Below is the trailer which released 3 months ago:
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Warner Bros.’s massive Hall H panel at Comic-Con features a lot of new trailers, but one of the most exciting dropped so far has been for the new Godzilla movie titled Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Starring Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things), the trailer features all kinds of monsters and mayhem.
In the film, the planet is experiencing some kind of apocalyptic payback for all the damage that humanity has done to the Earth, complete with huge natural disasters meant to take out the human race. In order to save the ‘our species’, they have to find all the titans, (Godzilla, Mothera, etc.) who have been hiding since the time when they ruled over the earth.
The trailer opens with Brown on a rooftop, watching intently as a storm begins to cover the entire city. It then goes on to show various disasters occurring around the globe, before getting to the moment we’ve all been waiting for; a good look at the new Godzilla.
Godzilla emerges from the water, looks down at the puny humans, and lets out a blue fiery roar. Naturally, CGI technology has improved since the last time we got a Godzilla movie, so he, along with all the other monsters shown in the trailer, looks amazing. Mothera’s giant green wings are also particularly awe inspiring.
Seems like we’re in for a super thrilling movie, with lots of chaos, and huge monsters!
Godzilla: King of the Monsters is scheduled for release in May 2019.
Watch EVERY trailer released at San Diego Comic Con 2018 – which also includes trailers to TV Series.
Sources: Gizmodo, gamesradar+, COMINGSOON.NET, Gamespot, Polygon, Gulf News and YouTube
