Saudi Arabia made history in April 2018 with the launch of its first cinema at King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) – operated by AMC Cinemas, followed by a 4 screen VOX Cinemas at Riyadh Park Mall in May 2018 – featuring IMAX and Kids experiences.
VOX Cinemas has subsequently cut red ribbons at 3 more locations in the Kingdom:
Red Sea Mall (Jeddah) in January 2019 – featuring IMAX, Kids and Gold Class experiences
Al Qasr Mall (Riyadh) in March 2019 – featuring MAX and Kids experiences
The Roof (Riyadh) in March 2019 – featuring a Kids experience
The Kingdom recently marked another historic milestone with both a private (Wednesday 13th March 2019) and public screening (Thursday 14th March 2019) of a Saudi film titled Roll’em at VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall.
Roll’em – written, directed, shot and produced over three years, features an all-Saudi crew (from the actors to the sound director). The brainchild of director Abdulelah Al-Qurashi, co-producer Abdulrahman Khoja, and screenwriter Yasser Hammad, tells the story of a Saudi filmmaker named Omar Nizar who meets a retired 1970s cinematographer while on a journey to discover his home city of Jeddah.
With diverse characters and an incredible cast, this family-friendly movie will show a different image of Jeddah.
“It’s a Jeddawi film to the core. The post-production was in Egypt. The areas where we don’t have expertise in we had to outsource, but everything that had to do with the creative work is purely Saudi,” said Hammad in an interview with Arab News.
“The idea (for the characters) came up from a joke actually. I was pretending to be an old cinematographer and using Hejazi words and the accent. It inspired me to create a character,” he said.
“We had our inspiration from actual film directors from the 1970s in Saudi Arabia that no one knows about. They tried to pursue the same dreams we had, but failed because of their circumstances.” he added.
Hammad said having the film screened in Jeddah “is like a dream come true,” adding: “Without this city, I wouldn’t be able to create art.”
Roll’em is the first of many more local projects to be released. Experts believe that Saudi Arabia could produce $1 billion in revenue over the next 3 years, and by 2030 it could be among the 10 biggest film markets in the world.
Sources: Arab News, Vogue Arabia and Variety
On Monday 28th January 2019, VOX Cinemas opened its doors to the very first cinema in Jeddah at Red Sea Mall.
The multiplex, with a seating capacity of over 1,400 seats, features 12 screens in total and includes Saudi Arabia’s largest IMAX viewing experience, three Gold Class screens and a Kids screen.
Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, said Saudi Arabia has the capacity for high audience numbers.
Speaking at the opening ceremony at Red Sea Mall, Mitchell stated: “If you look at Dubai we have some 15 million customers there per annum. On the short-term goal in Saudi Arabia we are expecting the market to reach about 30 million customers.”
Research from PwC Middle East in November 2018 estimated that that total cinema revenue in Saudi Arabia would reach $1.5 billion by 2030. The forecast was based on a projected 2030 population of 39.5 million, and 6.6 screens per 100,000 people.
Last year, VOX Cinemas announced it would be investing $533 million to open 600 theaters in the next five years.
“Some 95 percent of our employees here are from Saudi Arabia. In any country where we operate cinemas, we localize the team. We have an Egyptian team in Egypt and a Lebanese team in Lebanon and of course Saudis in Saudi Arabia,” said Mitchell.
“We expect the cinemas in the Red Sea Mall to be showing…a mix of films, probably about 300 films per year with at least six new movies every single week. It will take a while for us to have enough cinemas for everyone to get to go to the cinema whenever they want to.
“In my opinion, the cinema is a good place for families to spend time together in a social environment, especially in hot summer days, when outdoor activities are limited.”
The new multiplex in Jeddah will offer cinema enthusiasts the opportunity to watch some of the world’s biggest blockbuster movies, and according to Mitchell, there would be no issues in relation to gender segregation as there are cinemas for families and separate ones for bachelors.
Here’s the walk-through video of VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall:
And a glimpse of the opening ceremony of VOX Cinemas – Red Sea Mall:
تم افتتاح ڤوكس سينما، أول سينما في جدة!
شكراً لضيوفنا الكرام الذين حضروا حفل افتتاح ڤوكس سينما #رد_سي_مول. تم افتتاح أول سينما في جدة ونحن متشوقون لخدمتكم جميعاً ابتداءً من اليوم! أضخم الأفلام وأفضل التجارب في انتظاركم في ڤوكس سينما، رد سي مول. احجزوا تذاكركم عبر https://voxcinemas.info/2ScvAh4 #ڤوكس_سينما_السعودية #ڤوكس_جدةThank you to our esteemed guests who attended the grand opening of VOX Cinemas, Red Sea Mall, and those who tuned in! The first cinema in Jeddah awaits you with the biggest blockbusters and amazing experiences. Book your tickets now at https://voxcinemas.info/2ScvAh4 Jeddah
Posted by VOX Cinemas KSA ڤوكس سينما السعودية on Tuesday, 29 January 2019
VOX Cinemas- Riyadh Park Mall has been operational since May 2018, and Motivate Val Morgan is the official cinema advertising partner of VOX Cinemas at both locations in the Kingdom.
Contact us for more information on cinema advertising opportunities in KSA.
For more information on locations and movie timings, visit https://ksa.voxcinemas.com/
Related Articles:
VOX Cinemas Opens in Saudi Arabia at Riyadh Park Mall
Sources: Arab News and VOX Cinemas
