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.

For more information visit voxcinemas.com.

About Majid Al Futtaim
Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure to ‘create great moments for everyone, every day’. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses spanning 17 international markets, employing more than 43,000 people, and obtaining the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately held corporates in the region.

Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 29 shopping malls, 13 hotels and four mixed-use communities, with further developments underway in the region. The shopping malls portfolio includes Mall of the Emirates, Mall of Egypt, Mall of Oman, City Centre malls, My City Centre neighbourhood centres, and five community malls which are in joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. The Company is the exclusive franchisee for Carrefour in over 30 markets across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, operating a portfolio of more than 400 outlets including City+, the region’s first checkout-free store, and an online store.

Majid Al Futtaim operates more than 600 VOX Cinemas screens as well as a portfolio of world-class leisure and entertainment experiences across the region including Ski Dubai, Ski Egypt, Dreamscape, Magic Planet, Little Explorers and iFLY Dubai. The Company is parent to a Fashion, Home and Specialty retail business representing international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, AllSaints, lululemon athletica, Crate & Barrel, LEGO and THAT, a Majid Al Futtaim fashion concept store and app. In addition, Majid Al Futtaim operates Enova, a facility and energy management company, through a joint venture operation with Veolia, a global leader in optimised environment resource management.

About CinemaCon
CinemaCon will attract upwards of 6,000 motion picture professionals from all facets of the industry – from exhibition and distribution, to the equipment and concession areas – all on hand to celebrate the movie-going experience and the cinema industry. CinemaCon is delighted to have both the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA) and National Association of Concessionaires (NAC) as its tradeshow partners. CinemaCon is also delighted to have as its official presenting sponsor, The Coca-Cola Company, one of the industry’s greatest and highly regarded and respected partners in the world of the movies.

About NATO
The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is the largest exhibition trade organization in the world, representing more than 35,000 movie screens in all 50 states, and more than 32,000 screens in 100 countries worldwide. NATO’s membership includes the largest cinema chains in the world and hundreds of independent theatre owners, too.

Additional information on CinemaCon can be found at www.cinemacon.com.