Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, a Malayalam film distributed by Phars Film, opened at number one on the UAE box office with AED 6.5M ($1.78M) across the weekend. The wider market rose with it: the overall gross was AED 23.5M ($6.39M), up 21.2% on the previous frame, with the top ten contributing AED 22.2M.
Box Office Mojo tracked the weekend across UAE cinemas from Thursday 20 August to Sunday 23 August, as part of its UAE weekend box office by-year chart.
The UAE box office top 10
| Rank | Film | Language | Weekend gross | Weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bethlehem Kudumba Unit New | Malayalam | AED 6.5M ($1,778,167) Total gross: AED 6.5M ($1,778,167) | 1 |
| 2 | Mutiny New | English | AED 3.3M ($893,750) Total gross: AED 3.3M ($893,750) | 1 |
| 3 | Spider-Man: Brand New Day ↓ 48.3% | English | AED 2.8M ($774,385) Total gross: AED 62.3M ($16,967,125) | 4 |
| 4 | Khalifa New | Malayalam | AED 2.7M ($721,780) Total gross: AED 2.7M ($721,780) | 1 |
| 5 | Insidious: Out of the Further New | English | AED 2.6M ($696,462) Total gross: AED 2.6M ($696,462) | 1 |
| 6 | The Odyssey ↓ 27.7% | English | AED 2.1M ($562,654) Total gross: AED 48.4M ($13,180,783) | 6 |
| 7 | The End of Oak Street ↓ 66.8% | English | AED 899,465 ($244,919) Total gross: AED 4.5M ($1,217,873) | 2 |
| 8 | Awarapan 2 ↓ 72.5% | Hindi | AED 703,655 ($191,601) Total gross: AED 3.9M ($1,049,574) | 2 |
| 9 | El Gawahergy ↓ 60% | English | AED 359,350 ($97,849) Total gross: AED 3.5M ($960,145) | 3 |
| 10 | Vishwanath and Sons ↓ 82.1% | Tamil | AED 299,896 ($81,660) Total gross: AED 2.2M ($597,415) | 2 |
Regional films lead the chart
Malayalam cinema’s pull in the Gulf shaped the frame. Bethlehem Kudumba Unit debuted at number one, ahead of Khalifa, a new Malayalam title from Home Screen Entertainment that opened at number four with AED 2.7M. Tamil drama Vishwanath and Sons (Phars Film) finished the top ten on AED 299,896 in its second weekend. Four of the ten highest-grossing films were Indian-language titles.
Beyond the top ten, Phars Film added the Malayalam openers Irumudi (AED 208,631) and Modha Rathiri (AED 6,181).
The English-language openers
Mutiny took second place on debut with AED 3.3M ($893,750), and Insidious: Out of the Further opened at number five with AED 2.6M ($696,462). The End of Oak Street (Warner Bros) fell 66.8% to AED 899,465 in its second weekend.
Holds and long runs
Spider-Man: Brand New Day, number one in last week’s UAE box office report, added AED 2.8M in its fourth weekend, down 48.3%, taking its UAE total past AED 62.3M — the biggest run of the year so far, and the film has also crossed $2 billion worldwide. The Odyssey eased 27.7% to AED 2.1M in its sixth weekend, its cumulative now AED 48.4M.
Arabic and regional titles
El Gawahergy (Orient Films) took AED 359,350 in its third weekend, while the Egyptian comedy Khali Balak Min Nafsak (Vox Cinemas) reached AED 6.2M in five weeks. New Arabic entry Mahmoud El Tany opened at number 11 with AED 296,973.
What was the number one movie at the UAE box office this weekend?
Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, a Malayalam film distributed by Phars Film, topped the chart in its opening weekend with AED 6.5M ($1.78M) between Thursday 20 August and Sunday 23 August.
Where does the UAE box office data come from?
The weekly UAE box office figures are compiled by Box Office Mojo using data from Comscore and theatre distributors across the UAE.
What does the top 10 gross represent?
The top 10 gross is the combined weekend box office revenue of the ten highest-grossing films playing in UAE cinemas. This weekend’s top 10 total was AED 22.2M.
