Tourism Breaking News
VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, will be recognised at CinemaCon, the world’s most influential cinema conference, for its contribution to Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning cinema sector. During the International Day programme (25 April), Saudi Arabia will be honoured with the Emerging Market Spotlight Award and, as a leading exhibitor and key player in the growth of the Kingdom’s cinema industry, the award will be presented to VOX Cinemas. This is the second time that VOX Cinemas has been recognised at the prestigious event having previously been awarded Global Achievement in Exhibition in 2017.
Saudi Arabia is receiving the honour following a 95% year-on-year box office increase in 2021 according to Comscore, the media measurement and analytics company, who sponsors the award. The previous recipient of the award was Nigeria in 2019.
“Cinema in Saudi Arabia is growing at an unprecedented speed and, in just over four years, it has established itself as a major box office player on the global stage. VOX Cinemas will continue to play a leading role in creating a sustainable film industry and growing the cinema culture in the Kingdom by expanding its footprint and developing a dynamic content ecosystem”, said Ignace Lahoud, Chief Executive Officer, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas. He added, “We are proud to see Saudi Arabia’s film industry receive international recognition and are honoured that CinemaCon has selected us to accept this award.”
Mitch Neuhauser, Managing Director of CinemaCon added, “With almost 80% of the worldwide box office now coming from overseas, the international market has never played a more important role the cinema industry. In particular, the Saudi film sector is the emerging market to watch and a key focus globally given its exponential growth at the box office.”
Since 2018, VOX Cinemas has launched 154 screens and 15 movie theatres across six cities in Saudi Arabia. Its influence on the cinema industry goes beyond bricks and mortar and
Majid Al Futtaim LEC also produces local content and operates a large regional film distribution business. Last year, it distributed Al Kameen (The Ambush), the largest ever Arabic-language feature film production in the GCC, and its sister company Majid Al Futtaim Distribution became the distribution partner for Warner Bros. Pictures across the Middle East. Majid Al Futtaim LEC also announced an ambitious plan to boost regional production by developing 25 Arabic films in the next five years.
CinemaCon has become the largest and most important gathering for the worldwide motion picture theatre industry since launching in 2011. Taking place from 25-28 April in Las Vegas, the global event is expected to attract 6,000 industry professionals from more than 80 countries including exhibitors, major studio movie distributors, actors, producers and directors to celebrate the moviegoing experience. During CinemaCon, VOX Cinemas will also be honoured by Variety with the inaugural Achievement in International Exhibition Award.
