Dubai: Film enthusiasts will have to protect themselves from spoilers this July as major movie releases will be delayed until Ramadan is over.
Ramadan’s arrival this year clashed with major summer movie releases. Films released late in June or early in July will only be out early in August or on Eid day.
Eagerly-awaited movies such as Transformers: Age of Extinction and Tammy will not be out until July 24, while in the US they are already burning up the box office.
“Production studios avoid releasing big titles during this period of time because of the cultural component,” explains Svetlana Gunko, marketing representative of Empire International Gulf.
She adds that: “The greatest part of the population in UAE are fasting and praying, avoiding many kinds of profane entertainment. They prefer to gather together with their families for Iftar rather than going to the movies.
“In addition to that, according to statistics, a lot of residents take a vacation and travel abroad during Ramadan. The amount of the cinema goers in UAE drops significantly,” adds Gunko.
In Ramadan, just as most food outlets remain closed until sunset, theatres will not provide snacks, which is another reason for the decrease in the number of cinema goers during the day. “People just can’t imagine movie viewing without a bucket of popcorn and a fizzy drink,” adds Gunko.
Other delayed films include Earth to Echo and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which will be released on August 7 and July 24 respectively.
— Safaa Aboukadir is an intern at Gulf News
