With stunning scenes filmed in Abu Dhabi, F1: The Movie Middle East box office numbers are soaring—much like the sport’s growing popularity in the region.
Apple Original Films’ eagerly anticipated F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joseph Kosinski, has delivered an electrifying opening weekend at the global box office, becoming a historic milestone for the studio and the genre alike.
Racing to an extraordinary $144 million worldwide in its first four days, F1: The Movie proved that when premium content meets the right platform, audiences respond in unprecedented ways. The film’s domestic performance was nothing short of impressive, capturing $55.6 million domestically (US & Canada), while international markets contributed $88.4 million to boost the global tally.
But here’s where the story gets truly electrifying: these figures represent more than just solid box office performance—they’re rewriting the record books. Apple has officially crowned its new champion, with F1: The Movie speeding past previous theatrical releases like Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon to claim the studio’s highest-grossing opening weekend. For Brad Pitt, this marks a career milestone, surpassing even the zombie-fueled success of World War Z to become his biggest global launch ever.
The film now leads an entire genre, setting the record for the largest-ever opening weekend for a live-action motorsports film, outperforming acclaimed titles like Ford v Ferrari and Talladega Nights.
What’s driving this phenomenal success? It’s the perfect blend of star power, adrenaline-pumping action, and compelling storytelling—all delivered through Kosinski’s masterful direction, the same visionary behind Top Gun: Maverick’s soaring success.
Apple’s marketing strategy was equally sophisticated, with innovative tactics like haptic trailer technology serving as standout elements in a comprehensive campaign that created buzz by transcending traditional promotional boundaries.
The film’s global triumph has found particularly fertile ground in international markets, with standout performances across China, India, Mexico, and Australia. However, it is in the Middle East where F1: The Movie truly finds its home track.
The UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain spearheaded the region’s exceptional enthusiasm for the film—and for good reason. With significant portions filmed at Abu Dhabi’s iconic Yas Marina Circuit, the movie speaks directly to regional audiences who have witnessed Formula 1’s explosive growth in the region. This authentic connection between the film’s setting and its audience creates a perfect storm of engagement and cultural relevance.
According to Motivate Val Morgan’s comprehensive cinema admissions reporting platform, CineMeasure, the results speak volumes: over 270,000 admissions across our regional circuit during its initial four‑day run secured the coveted number-one position for the weekend. This success reinforces cinema’s unique power to maximize audience connection with premium storytelling.
Building on a season already packed with major releases, F1: The Movie joins the ranks of summer blockbusters such as Marvel’s Thunderbolts*, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, Lilo & Stitch, A Minecraft Movie, and Arabic hits like Asaf and Siko Siko, all fueling exceptional momentum across the region. The Motivate Val Morgan circuit has now reached 16.5 million admissions as of June 2025. With highly anticipated titles including Superman, Fantastic Four: First Step, and Jurassic World: Rebirth still to come, this remarkable box office streak shows no signs of slowing down.
These impressive admissions figures across the region reflect not just enthusiasm for premium content but also underscore the strategic value of the cinema medium itself, which continues to capture audience attention and deliver engagement levels unmatched by other entertainment forms. Cinema remains uniquely positioned as the only premium platform where high-caliber content like F1: The Movie can be experienced in its full glory—delivering the immersive, high-impact experiences that premium storytelling demands.
F1: The Movie reinforces what the industry understands instinctively: when you have truly premium content, the platform choice becomes obvious. For studios and exhibitors, this success validates that compelling storytelling, top-tier talent, and the cinema experience create unmatched audience connection and profitability. For brands, the principle holds true—premium content naturally gravitates toward premium platforms that deliver the premium engagement and impact it deserves.
Sources: Deadline, MVM CineMeasure
Mission Impossible UAE 2025 opening reached an impressive $3.6 million, securing the region’s position among the top 10 global markets and highlighting the Middle East’s growing cinema influence.
The weekend of May 22-25, 2025, delivered a spectacular reminder of cinema’s enduring power. Disney’s Lilo & Stitch and Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning combined for an extraordinary $545.7 million global opening, setting the stage for an exceptional summer season.
Lilo & Stitch surfed to a remarkable $341.7 million global debut, claiming the third-highest Disney Live Action opening weekend ever—trailing only to The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. The film’s success story extends far beyond traditional expectations, with the $100 million production—originally destined for Disney+ before receiving a theatrical upgrade.
What makes this performance particularly impressive is the film’s demographic reach. According to THR, rather than relying solely on families, Lilo & Stitch captured 60% of its domestic audience from non-parent demographics, driven largely by Gen Z and millennial women who grew up with the 2002 animated original. This cross-generational appeal translated into robust international numbers, with $158.7 million from overseas markets, including dominant performances in Mexico, the UK, and Brazil.
Tom Cruise continues to defy both gravity and industry expectations with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning launching to $204 million worldwide. The eighth installment in the franchise achieved series-best numbers globally, collecting $127 million overseas alongside strong domestic performance, surpassing previous franchise record-holder Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
Early audience reception has been positive, with an A- CinemaScore and strong critical reviews praising the film’s practical stunts and emotional storytelling.
The Middle East emerged as a crucial contributor to both films’ success. The UAE ranked among the top 10 markets for Mission: Impossible, with the Tom Cruise vehicle claiming the number one position in the region. Meanwhile, Lilo & Stitch demonstrated strong family appeal across Gulf markets, contributing significantly to Disney’s international haul.
This regional performance underscores the Middle East’s growing importance in the global cinema ecosystem. With the regional market projected to reach $3.44 billion by 2033, driven by young demographics and expanding urban centers, the weekend’s results demonstrate audiences’ appetite for premium theatrical experiences and blockbuster content across all genres.
Both films benefited from premium large format presentations, with IMAX delivering franchise-best numbers for Mission: Impossible ($31M) while Lilo & Stitch attracted families to premium screens. This trend reinforces the industry’s strategic pivot toward enhanced experiences that differentiate theatrical viewing from home streaming.
For cinema advertisers, this weekend demonstrated the power of diverse audience appeal. The success across demographics—from nostalgic millennials to action enthusiasts—created multiple engagement touchpoints. Lilo & Stitch’s family-plus-adult appeal and Mission: Impossible’s premium audience proved cinema’s unique ability to deliver both mass reach and targeted demographics in a captive, premium environment.
The weekend’s triumph establishes momentum for what industry analysts predict could be the most robust summer season since before the pandemic. The upcoming slate includes:
The combination of franchise filmmaking, premium experiences, and global appeal demonstrates that when Hollywood delivers quality content, audiences respond enthusiastically across all markets. Both films proved that theatrical experiences remain irreplaceable—whether through nostalgic emotional connections or breathtaking practical stunts.
The message is clear: cinema remains irreplaceable, and summer 2025 is positioned to be one for the record books, offering unprecedented opportunities for both exhibitors and advertisers to connect with engaged global audiences.
Sources: Deadline, Box Office Mojo, The Hollywood Reporter
There’s no denying that in times of an economic downturn, every dollar spent will be scrutinized and will need to work harder.
With the first six months of 2016 forecasted to be the toughest for the economy of the MENA region since 2009, its fair to say that clients will be more reluctant to just ‘toss’ money towards media, and will therefore most likely only invest in advertising that works in the right channel and at the right moment – targeting the right audience.
So why is cinema the safest and the right medium to invest in during an economic downturn?
Well, history tells us cinema and recessions are like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich – the perfect combination! Similar to how cinema emerged as one of the least affected industries during past economic woes, the next six months seem to be no different in the UAE (hello, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and an incredible line-up of blockbuster movies releasing in 2016).
Take the Great Depression (1929 -1939) as another example – from failed farmers to working mothers and displaced children, the great depression invaded homes across the U.S. Twenty-five percent of the country was unemployed during the peak of the depression (1933), while even more just barely made ends meet. Despite the agonizing economic hardship faced by nearly all of the country, 60-70 million Americans still packed into theaters each week. You wonder, what made sitting in a theater for an hour and a half worth a hard-earned 15 cents?
As explained by Dixton Wector (historian), “the content of motion picture was designed for escape – the majority reflecting the tastes of tired and jaded adults seeking a ‘never-never land’ of luxury, melodrama and sentiment.”
If you are a moviegoer who lived in the UAE between 2008 and 2010 – when the economic downturn was in full swing, you might still recall the somewhat crowded multiplexes- spanning all ages. But why frequent cinemas when unemployment rates were at an all time high, businesses were experiencing discouraging times, and a great sense of depression loomed the region? The simple answer: that’s the power of the movies! People still want to be entertained, perhaps more so in tough times.
Week after week (between 2008 to 2010) movies performed relatively well at the UAE Box Office:
Cinema truly delivers an ultimate environment for advertisers, and over the years, many advertisers have embraced the value proposition of cinema advertising – a distraction free environment with high ad recall, and a captive audience who cannot fast-forward or block ads. Additionally, the value of integrated campaigns utilizing both on screen and off screen messaging has the potential to double, or even triple the impact a brand can make on moviegoers.
Cinema remains a relatively cheap form of entertainment here in the UAE, especially compared with eating out, or a night down at a pub. Coupled with a mind-blowing line-up of movies releasing this year, and a range of cinema experiences the UAE has to offer – IMAX, 3D, and 4DX, cinemas will continue to attract moviegoers in numbers this year too- thus, there’s no friendlier medium than cinema for advertisers to invest in during times of a slower and bumpier economy.
Contact a member of our sales team for a detailed list of this 2016’s movie-line up, and for more information on our cinema advertising packages.
Sources: boxofficemojo.com, The Telegraph, xroads.virginia.edu, The Hollywood Reporter, and Campaign
