Indian Title Master Revitalises GCC Box Office As VOX Cinemas Reports More Than 90,000 Ticket Sales Regionally On Opening Weekend
VOX Cinemas, the dedicated cinema arm of Majid Al Futtaim, has reported more than 90,000 ticket sales for Indian title Master on its opening weekend, giving the local box office a welcome boost. Advance ticket sales for the Thalapathy Vijay movie exceeded 47,000 at VOX Cinemas across the region, which is more than his previous hit film Bigilwhich was released pre-Covid and before capacity restrictions were in place.
Since it debuted on 13 January, Master has been dominating the global box office and grossed more than Rs 100 crores ($15m) worldwide within the first three days of release. The Tamil action-thriller is the first major Indian title to hit the big screen since the start of the pandemic and has emerged as the biggest release in UAE during pandemic times, beating the opening weekends of Hollywood blockbusters such as Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984.
Cameron Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas and Majid Al Futtaim Leisure & Entertainment said, “VOX Cinemas has had exceptional ticket sales for Master, setting the stage for a box office recovery and reiterating the huge potential that new films hold in attracting audiences back to the big screen. The cinema remains the only place to go for a true movie-going experience and the theatrical release of Master has provided a much-needed impetus for the film industry. The movie’s performance is particularly impressive in light of the capacity restrictions in place and looks set to positively influence the release dates of other forthcoming movies. As a result of Master’s success, we are currently in discussions with other studios to bring forward release dates to capture the huge demand that still clearly exists.”
Mr Mitchell added,“The absence of fresh content poses a big challenge for exhibitors and, at VOX Cinemas, we firmly believe that when major releases return to the cinema, audiences will follow. With blockbusters such as No Time to Die and F9 hitting theatres in the coming months, we expect cinemagoers to return in large numbers to enjoy the unrivalled and collective experience of watching a movie on the big screen.”
Nelson D’Souza, Associate Vice President – International Distribution, Yash Raj Films said, “Master broke all previous records for a Vijay film on its opening weekend in the Middle East, and its phenomenal success proves that cinemas are here to stay and that people want to enjoy big
screen entertainment. With South Indian films paving the way, very soon Hindi and other regional language films will start announcing their release dates.”
Master is directed by Lokesh Kanagarajand stars Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi in the lead roles. The much-awaited movie is currently showing at VOX Cinemas across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar. Master is the first of many Bollywood movies and Indian titles due to release at VOX Cinemas in 2021 and the upcoming slate includes highly anticipated films such as Sooryavanshi, which will hit the big screen in March, and Radhe, an action movie starring Salman Khan.
For more information or to make a booking visit voxcinemas.com.
