Check out the ads that featured in cinema during the Eid al-Fitr 2024 long weekend!
The spirit of Eid al-Fitr once again filled the region, transforming the long weekend into a vibrant celebration. Families and friends flocked to shopping malls and entertainment hubs, eager to connect and revel in the festivities.
With more than 14 highly anticipated movies from various genres and languages being released, movie theaters resonated with laughter and excitement as audiences rushed to see the latest releases on the big screen. This festive atmosphere provided a perfect platform for brands to capture hearts and minds through cinema advertising.
From riveting ads by fast food chains, automobile companies, and airlines, here are the commercials that lit up the big screen during Eid al-Fitr 2024:
McDonald’s – FTM Dune: Part Two
Country: Qatar
Operator(s): Select VOX locations
BYD – FTM Dune: Part Two
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select VOX & AMC locations
Almarai – FTM Kung Fu Panda 4
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select VOX, Muvi, AMC & Reel locations
Birmingham University Dubai – Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Country: UAE
Operator(s): Select VOX locations
Lulu
Country: UAE
Operator(s): Select Royal, CinemaCity, Cinépolis, Oscar, Reel & VOX locations
WWE 2K24
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select AMC & Muvi locations
Abdul Samad Qurashi
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select AMC, Muvi & VOX locations
Dallah Hospitals
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select AMC, Muvi & VOX locations
Disabled Children’s Association (DCA)
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select AMC, Muvi, Reel & VOX locations
Green Farms
Country: KSA
Operator(s): Select AMC, Muvi & VOX locations
National Transformation Program (NTP)
Country: KSA (Saudi Arabia)
Operator(s): Select AMC, Muvi & VOX locations
Gulf Air
Country: Bahrain
Operator(s): Select VOX locations
Oman Post / Asyad Express
Country: Oman
Operator(s): Select Cinepolis & VOX locations
Royal Opera House
Country: Oman
Operator(s): Select VOX locations
Burger King
Country: Egypt
Operator(s): VOX locations
Garnier
Country: Egypt
Operator(s): VOX locations
Hardees
Country: Egypt
Operator(s): VOX locations
Misr Life Insurance
Country: Egypt
Operator(s): VOX locations
Noon
Country: Egypt
Operator(s): VOX locations
CBK
Country: Kuwait
Operator(s): VOX Cinemas
Kuwait Finance House (KFH)
Country: Kuwait
Operator(s): VOX Cinemas
Porsche
Country: Kuwait
Operator(s): VOX Cinemas
Think cinema for ‘attention-grabbing’ advertising! Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities alongside special events and celebrations.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia celebrated Saudi Founding Day on 22nd February, with Saudi nationals and residents joining in on the celebration. National holidays are highly celebrated by Saudis as they look forward to such days during the year, and Saudi Founding Day is no exception.
Cinemas were abuzz with moviegoers eager to watch the latest blockbusters, and renowned KSA brands took advantage of this unique opportunity by securing on screen adverting in a bid to establish connections with captive cinema audiences on the big screen.
From ads promoting products or services, to brands showing their solidarity with the people of Saudi Arabia and supporting the country’s growth and development, here are the ads that took over the big screen in celebration of Saudi Founding Day 2023:
Architecture & Design Commission
Start Date: 25 February 2023
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Banque Saudi Fransi
Start Date: 20. February 2023
Locations: Multiple AMC, Muvi and VOX locations
Ministry of Culture
Start Date: 13 February 2023
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi, Reel and VOX locations
Monsha’at
Start Date: 20. February 2023
Locations: Multiple AMC and Muvi locations
Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites
Start Date: 20. February 2023
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Riyad Bank
Start Date: 23 February 2023
Locations: Select VOX and Muvi locations
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:
UAE
Saudi Arabia
Egypt
Oman
Kuwait
Bahrain
Qatar
Lebanon
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 Agency: Blue Horizon
Brand: Infiniti QX60
Title: Take the Wheel
Media Agency: OMD
Brand: Jindal Shadeed
Media Agency: United Media Services
Brand: Theeb
Brand: Yas Island
Title: Yas Yas Baby
Media Agency: Initiative Media
Brand: Al Nahdi Pharmacies
2022 saw our cinema circuit expand with several new locations:
Our dedicated cinema buying platform – CinePlan 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.
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:
For more on the movies coming out in 2023, be sure to check out our sizzle reel
FIFA booked an integrated cinema campaign through Universal Media (UM) Qatar to promote the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022™ at select locations of VOX, Reel, Muvi, AMC cinemas in UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The on-screen campaign included a 30 sec. commercial booked for a period of 4 weeks – 27 October 2022 to 23 November 2022, at select locations of:
UAE – VOX and Reel
KSA – VOX, AMC and Muvi
The commercial follows La’eeb (the official mascot of the FIFA World Cup 2022) as he auditions to fulfill his destiny as the tournament’s mascot. La’eeb encourages everyone to believe in themselves and spread the joy of football to everyone, through the catch phrase ‘Now is All’.
The off-screen component of the cinema campaign included the distribution of 50,000 FIFA branded popcorn tubs featuring La’eeb, to moviegoers at select VOX locations in UAE and KSA starting 10 November 2022.
Contact us for more information on branding options and integrated cinema advertising opportunities across the Middle East!
Related Articles:
Armani Code | Integrated Cinema Campaign | KSA
Saudi Arabia celebrated its 92nd National Day on 23rd September 2022, commemorating the birth of the modern Saudi nation.
This year’s theme and slogan was ‘This is our Home’- appreciating the cultural diversity of the country that makes everyone feel at home, whether they are Saudi nationals or expats.
Cinema was a popular medium for brands to convey their wishes to the nation this year. From French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products – Sephora, to Saudi based telecom provider – Salam, STC and more… here’s a look at ads that lit up the big screen to honour the Kingdom’s national day:
Sephora
The cinema ad by Sephora features Saudi expressionist artist Ghada Al Rabea – a strong Saudi woman, who holds her culture at high esteem, but never shies away from her passion for art.
Commercial Duration: 15 Sec
Locations: Multiple VOX locations
Monsha’at
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority – Monsha’at booked a national day cinema ad celebrating the nation’s identity, culture, leadership and growth over the years.
Commercial Duration: 127 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC and Muvi locations
Banque Saudi Fransi
The Saudi based banking group’s national day campaign celebrates the vision and achievement of Saudi Arabia as a nation in various sectors.
Commercial Duration: 30 Secs
Locations: Multiple AMC, Muvi and VOX locations
Salam Mobile
Saudi Arabia’s new mobile service Salam mobile in their National Day ad features a virtually performed ballad about the nation’s heroic history by well-known Saudi artists from across the nation.
Commercial Duration: 180 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Saudi Electricity Company
KSA’s energy provider Saudi Electricity Company in their National Day ad emphasized its commitment to illuminate the nation’s future – “she is home to us, and we are the light for.”
Commercial Duration: 86 Sec
Locations: Multiple AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
STC
Saudi Telecom Company commemorates this year’s national day by highlighting the nation’s support and empowerment for the advancement of its people.
Commercial Duration: 60 Sec
Locations: Select AMC, Cinépolis, Muvi and VOX locations
Virgin Mobile
Virgin Mobile in a tactical campaign, promoted their ‘National Day Special Offer’ on the big screens of cinemas across the country.
Commercial Duration: 15 Sec
Locations: Select AMC, Muvi and VOX locations
With National Days of Oman (18th November), UAE (2nd December), Bahrain (16th December) and Qatar (18th December) around the corner, contact a member of our sales team for more information on cinema advertising to mark these special days!
Muvi Park Avenue – Riyadh is the latest addition to the operator’s extensive cinema network in the kingdom.
Saudi homegrown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas opened its twenty-first location at Park Avenue Mall, Riyadh on 28 April 2022.
The 10 screens cinema with a total of 1,277 seats also features a ScreenX and an Xperience screen, and it is the eighth cinema by the operator in Riyadh city.
The cinema is part of the newly opened outdoor mall in the city – Park Avenue, which offers a variety of entertainment and shopping options, restaurants, cafes and children’s amusement parks for the entire family to enjoy and experience.
Muvi Cinemas presently operates 205 screens across 21 locations in 9 cities of Saudi Arabia.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities at Muvi – Park Avenue – Riyadh.
Source: Muvi Cinemas
Muvi Boulevard Riyadh City is the largest cinema in Saudi Arabia, and the biggest in the world by seating capacity.
Saudi homegrown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas opened the Kingdom’s largest cinema at Boulevard Riyadh City on 02 March, 2022.
The cinema boasts a total of 25 screens and features a variety of unique concepts.
For VIP experiences, the cinema offers four luxury Muvi Suites and four Muvi Boutique auditoriums – theatres with a theme of a city or popular place such as London, Beverly Hills and Hollywood.
Two Muvi Junior screens are available for children aged three to twelve years with a party room attached to celebrate special occasions.
Muvi Boulevard Riyadh City is also home to a 4DX and Xperience screen powered by CGS for an immersive cinema experience.
The official launch of Muvi Cinemas’ newest and largest venue was held in conjunction with the grand premiere of ‘The Batman’. Sultan Al Hokair, founder and Chief Executive Officer at Muvi Cinemas, said, “The launch of our newest Muvi Cinema at Riyadh Boulevard City was a great moment for both the Muvi brand and film lovers alike. As the largest movie theatre in Saudi Arabia, our customers will experience best-in-class entertainment while enjoying the latest cinematic technologies.”
The opening ceremony of the cinema and screening of ‘The Batman’ were attended by a distinguished list of guests and industry officials.
Muvi Cinemas presently operates 195 screens across 20 locations in 9 cities of Saudi Arabia.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities at Muvi – Boulevard Riyadh City.
Source: Muvi Cinemas
Muvi Boutique – Tala Mall in Riyadh is the first of its kind to open in Saudi Arabia, as part the roll-out in the Kingdom by the cinema exhibitor
Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas opened the county’s first boutique cinema in Riyadh on 25 November 2021.
The compact boutique-themed-cinema offers four screens with a total of 383 seats.
In keeping with other Muvi Cinemas locations, Muvi Boutique – Tala Mall centered around the theme of urban downtown, with a design by Chapman and Taylor from the UK. The state-of-the-art cinema is designed to create an experience that takes patrons on a new cinematic journey.
The cinema is part of Tala Mall located on the King Abdul Aziz Road, Riyadh, which is home to a variety of retail outlets, supermarkets, restaurants, and a Kid’s zone.
Together with the opening of Boulevard Riyadh (in December 2021), Muvi Cinemas presently operates 195 screens across 20 locations in 9 cities across Saudi Arabia.
*More information on Boulevard Riyadh to follow
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities at Muvi Boutique – Tala Mall
Muvi Cinemas – Al-Yasmin Mall, Jeddah is fifth location by the operator in Jeddah.
Muvi Cinemas opened its twentieth location at Jeddah’s Al-Yasmin Mall on 20thJanuary 2022, extending the homegrown cinema chain’s network.
The latest cinema boasts 9 Screens with a total of 1,339 seats and features an Xperience screen for large screen cinema experience.
The 60,000 sq m, Yasmin Mall is an upbeat family friendly shopping mall and is home for 210 retail outlets and has a variety of entertainment and leisure options.
Together with the openings of muvi Boutique – Tala Mall and Boulevard Riyadh (which opened in December 2021), Muvi Cinemas presently operates 174 screens across 20 locations in 9 cities across Saudi Arabia.
*More information on muvi Boutique – Tala Mall (Riyadh), Boulevard Riyadh (Riyadh) to follow soon.
Contact a member of our sales team for cinema advertising opportunities on the screens of Muvi Cinemas – Al-Yasmin Mall.
Sources : Muvi, Saudi Gazzette
Muvi Cinemas opens the first ever movie theater in the city of Khamis Mushait in Saudi Arabia at Mujan Park – Khamis
Muvi Cinemas opened its newest location at Murjan Park in the city of Khamis Mushait – KSA, on 11January 2022.
The 9-screen cinema with a total of 1,368 seats also features a ScreenX and Xperience screen, and is the first ever theatre in the city of Khamis Mushait – a city in south-west Saudi Arabia, located east of Abha.
Similar to other locations operated by the exhibitor, Muvi Cinemas at Mujan Park – Khamis was designed by UK’s , and the mall the cinema is located in boasts a wide range of entertainment and shopping options, restaurants, and cafes for the entire family to enjoy and experience.
Together with the openings of muvi Boutique – Tala Mall and Boulevard Riyadh (which opened in December 2021) and Al-Yasmin Mall (which opened in January 2022), Muvi Cinemas presently operates 174 screens across 20 locations in 9 cities across Saudi Arabia.
*More information on muvi Boutique – Tala Mall (Riyadh), Boulevard Riyadh (Riyadh) and Al-Yasmin Mall (Jeddah) to follow soon.
Contact us for cinema advertising opportunities on the screens of first ever cinema in Khamis Mushait, KSA – Muvi Cinemas Mujan Park – Khamis.
