Furious 7 UAE’s highest-grossing film yet

Furious 7 is breaking box office records the world over, and the UAE is no different.

The film, portions of which were shot in Abu Dhabi last year, crossed the $1 billion mark globally at the weekend, and shows no signs of slowing down in the UAE either.

In the three weeks since its April 2 release, the film has taken in Dh34,836,000 at the box office, according to figures released on Monday by local distributor Four Star Films, making it the highest-grossing film in the UAE ever.

There have been 824,000 admissions in the UAE — many of them repeat customers, said Four Star senior marketing manager Simon Al Khoury, who called the film’s performance “exceptional”.

“A lot of people love the movie, a lot watched it twice,” said Al Khoury, who added that the film’s success isn’t limited to the UAE — it’s been a box office blockbuster across the GCC and Lebanon, too.

The film also had the all-time highest opening weekend in the UAE with 338,462 admissions and Dh13,759,766 at the box office.

“It’s still doing better, day by day, and it’s almost the third week,” said Al Khoury.

The next blockbuster-in-waiting filmed in the UAE is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, due for release in December. Portions of the film were shot in the Abu Dhabi desert, which director J. J. Abrams revealed on Thursday stands in for the planet Jakku. The film is expected to be one of the highest-grossing ever.