Saudi Arabia’s first home-grown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas has inked an agreement with Front Row Film Entertainment to launch Front Row Arabia, a film distribution company.
The joint venture between the global independent film distributor and Muvi Cinemas, which was signed on Wednesday, will focus on the distribution of Western, Arabic, Japanese anime and alternative content with the first official release, The Marksman, scheduled for January 21.
While movie theatres in the region have struggled during the pandemic, coronavirus has not hindered Saudi’s appetite for watching movies in movie theatres. As such Front Row Arabia is coming to a big market.
Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row said: “Muvi Cinema’s forward-thinking is exemplary to the region and we cannot wait to launch our first films together and expand from there. Saudi Arabia is the growing market of the region and we are happy to add another valuable piece to our distribution network through this joint venture with Muvi Cinemas. This will offer our current and future partners the most efficient and complete all-rights distribution set up in the Middle East.”
“We have been monitoring Front Row’s activity for quite a while and their diversity, innovative business model and future plans are very much aligned with our vision which includes distribution of Hollywood, local language content and beyond. We cannot wait to start this venture together and contribute to the expansion of the entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia,” said Sultan Alhokair, CEO of Muvi Cinemas.
Gianluca Chakra (left), CEO of Front Row and Sultan Alhokair, CEO of Muvi Cinemas
Muvi Cinemas currently operates ten locations across six cities with a total of 103 screens. The Saudi chain has plans to expand to over 610 screens and more cities by 2025, making it a market leader in a well-established market of moviegoers.
Front Row currently acquires over 100 titles a year for the MENA region, 45 of which are distributed theatrically in the region. Just before the lockdown, Front Row in collaboration with Kuwait National Cinema Company (KNCC), released the Arabic-language blockbuster El Folos which currently stands as the highest-grossing Arabic film of all time in Saudi Arabia and the GCC.
This joint venture replicates the successful model adapted between Front Row and KNCC which currently controls 86 percent of the Kuwait theatrical market share.
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