Hugh Jackman fans in the UAE might be in for a treat. At the premiere of animation film Rio 2 at Mall of the Emirates on Tuesday — the film opens to the public on Thursday — the Australian actor appeared on screen greeting the crowd and telling them to keep an eye out for his upcoming film, X-Men: Days of Future Past.
According to Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Fuittaim, there’s more in store.
Mitchell announced a partnership between Majid Al Futtaim, 20th Century Fox and Empire International at a press conference ahead of the Rio 2 screening and the Jackman advert. As part of the partnership, people who buy tickets to — or are invited for — select premieres will be automatically entered to win one-of-a-kind prizes, such as meeting their favourite stars.
“We’re giving away gifts and prizes that people can’t buy, irrespective of their budgets,” Mitchell said. “It’s the kind of promotion whereby [you’ll] maybe meet the stars at the London premiere, or you might fly to Los Angeles and tour the set while the film’s being made.”
This could include a future opportunity to meet Jackman and the stars of the X-Men film.
“Some of our team last week, courtesy of 20th Century Fox, got to meet some of the stars and talk about the film and see footage that no one else has seen,” he said. The chances of celebrities appearing at premieres in the region will be higher, he added.
Another perk of the partnership will be never-before-seen footage arriving early to the UAE.
“When you come to see a certain film, you’ll see ten minutes of footage that hasn’t been released yet for a film that’s releasing a month later,” he said. “And again, nobody else in the world is doing these things.”
These promotions will be offered at VOX Cinemas in Fujairah City Centre, Ajman City Centre, Mirdif City Centre, Deira City Centre and Mall of the Emirates.
To kick the partnership off, the cast of Rio 2 will be travelling around malls doing free stage shows and meet-and-greets until April 27.
