Movie fans will have one of the best Eid Al Adha gifts this year as a number of high-profile films are set to release over the holiday weekend. Leading the charge is one of the year’s most awaited film, Skyfall, the 23rd Bond film, which will release globally on Friday.
Advance tickets for the Daniel Craig-starrer are already on sale at cinemas with screenings as early as 00.07 on October 26. With malls in Dubai open for 24 hours, distributors are hoping to capitalise on increased footfall with non-stop screenings.
Skyfall is the first Bond film to be released in Imax and in the UAE. Grand Cinemas at Ibn Battuta Mall and Meydan Imax are already accepting advance bookings. The film, whose release coincides with the 50th anniversary of Bond films, has already received praise from early reviewers, with some critics calling it the best Bond film ever.
Glee-style musical comedy Pitch Perfect will also release in the weekend. The film, starring Twilight’s Anna Kendrick and Bridesmaids’ Rebel Wilson, follows an all-girl a capella group, ‘The Bellas’ as they battle to beat the reigning national group.
Sony Pictures’ animation film, Hotel Transylvania, featuring A-list voices including Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Cee Lo Green, Steve Buscemi and David Spade, is a 3D film about a hotel where the world’s most famous monsters convene.
Both Pitch Perfect and Hotel Transylvania have received favourable reviews from critics.
Also this weekend, Hunger Games’ star Jennifer Lawrence’s turn in a horror film, House at the End of the Street, will try and spook the competition out of Paranormal Activity 4, the hit horror series addition that was released last weekend.
For Bollywood movie buffs, there’s no super-spy waiting in the wings, but this Eid will see former model Arjun Rampal firing on all cylinders. His starring role in ‘Chakravyuh’ and ‘Ajab Gazabb Love’, in which he has a fleeting appearance, will release on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.
There’s just a day separating his two releases but there’s a sea of difference between them. While ‘Chakravyuh’ with its ensemble cast including Abhay Deol, Esha Gupta and Anjali Patil sees Rampal play a righteous cop fighting against militant groups in India, ‘Ajab Gazabb Love’ is a formulaic romantic comedy.
If these don’t rock your boat, there’s always Emraan Hashemi’s ‘Rush’ releasing on Wednesday in the UAE. The thriller will see Hashemi play a struggling news reporter who takes up an unethical reporting job that lands him in a vortex of violence.
No Arabic films are ready for release this weekend, distributors said.
