A report printed by the Cairo Movie Connection, throughout Cairo Business Days (Nov. 16-20), gives key information on latest developments within the Egyptian movie trade, together with the pivotal position performed by Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning exhibition and manufacturing sector.
Egyptian cinema is the oldest and largest within the Arab world and has loved fluctuating export success over the a long time. Just lately the overseas market has grow to be extra profitable than the native market, above all for a choose variety of Egyptian titles.
Saudi Arabia’s quickly increasing exhibition sector ranks as the first supply of field workplace revenues for 9 out of Egypt’s high 10 movie exports between 2021 and 2024. Some 27% of the highest 65 movies on the all-time Saudi field workplace are Egyptian.
A small variety of Egyptian movies have earned a lot larger revenues overseas than at house. Romcom “Bahebek” (“I Love You”), starring Tamer Hosni, grossed $2.8 million at house, however grew to become a breakout hit throughout West Asia, garnering $22.9 million overseas.
Different worldwide hits embrace “Sons of Rizk 3: Knockout” (2024) that grossed $6.1 million in Egypt and $22.3 million overseas, and “A Stand Worthy of Males” (2021), with $1.7 million in Egypt and $18.3 million overseas.
In 2024, Egyptian movies had been ranked third within the Saudi market share, following U.S. and Indian titles. A complete of 33 Egyptian movies had been launched in Saudi Arabia that yr, producing over $53 million — greater than twice the overall revenues earned by all Egyptian movies of their home market ($23.5 million).
Egyptian-Saudi coproductions qualify for preferential tax remedy on their Saudi field workplace revenues. Current examples embrace Hani Khalifa’s thriller, “Flight 404,” which is Egypt’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards for greatest worldwide function.
The significance of overseas exports has been additional leveraged by the autumn within the greenback worth of Egypt’s field workplace – from $59.6 million in 2019 to a forecast $36 million in 2025. This fall has been pushed by important alternate charge depreciation of the Egyptian pound. Field workplace revenues in native forex have truly doubled since 2019, as a result of double-digit inflation recorded since 2022.
Cinemagoing in Egypt continues to be recovering from the pandemic droop. Admissions had been 12 million in 2024 and anticipated to hit 13.8 million by the top of 2025, near the pre-pandemic degree.
The largest section of Egypt’s cinema viewers is aged between 18-29 years, representing 20% of the overall inhabitants and 42.7% of the labor drive.
Egyptian movies are round 20% of all movies launched, however garner nearly 70% of whole field workplace, with U.S. movies standing at 28.5% in 2025. Excessive funds Egyptian comedies and motion/journey movies historically dominate the native field workplace. In 2025, two Hollywood movies entered the Prime 10 on the box-office – “F1” and “The Conjuring: Final Rites,” the primary time in a number of years that two overseas titles have entered the Prime 10.
Native audiences now not focus solely on high-budget productions. For instance, Omar El Mohandes’ mid-budget comedy “Siko Siko,” starring Essam Omar and Taha Desouky, grossed round $4 million in Egypt and an extra $4.2 million in Saudi Arabia, making it the second highest profitable movie within the historical past of Egyptian cinema.
Curiosity in arthouse titles can also be rising. Khaled Mansour’s 2024 Venice-player “Looking for Haven for Mr. Rambo” (2024), grossed $341,000, rating as Egypt’s biggest-ever arthouse launch.
Over latest years, the main movie distributor has been Synergy, however has been surpassed in 2025 by Misr Worldwide Movies. In 2025, Synergy’s former supervisor, Ahmed Badawy, launched a brand new firm, Movie Sq., which is constructing market share. The principal distributor of overseas movies, together with Hollywood titles, is United Movement Photos, which as a result of latest success of blockbusters corresponding to “F1” has surpassed a number of Egyptian movie distributors. A rising participant is UVF, a subsidiary of the Saudi media conglomerate Arab Radio and Tv Community, which the CFC report says focuses on financing and distributing mid-budget Egyptian movies as a prelude to releasing them internationally, notably in Saudi Arabia and different Gulf Cooperation Council international locations.
The CFC report additionally gives a complete overview of the outcomes of the primary 10 editions of the Cairo Movie Connection, which by means of its pitching, mentoring and monetary and in-kind awards has performed a key position in serving to Arab filmmakers full their movies and attain native and worldwide audiences, together with A-list festivals.
Current successes embrace “4 Daughters” (2023) by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia) – that was nominated for greatest documentary function within the Academy Awards, “Inshallah a Boy” (2023), by Amjad Al Rasheed (Jordan), that premiered on the Cannes Movie Competition, and “Aïcha” (2024) by Mehdi Barsaoui (Morocco), which premiered on the Venice Movie Competition.
