Raya and the Last Dragon, the latest film from Disney Animation Studios, stayed at the number one spot at the UAE box office in its second weekend, with Tom & Jerry: The Movie holding on in a close second.
Impressively, the animated film actually sold more tickets in its second weekend than it did in its first, with 20,600 people going to see the film in the UAE compared to 19,000 in its first weekend. Its box office total after 10 days is approximately $527,000.
Cinemas in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain remain closed due to COVID-19, with cinemas in other emirates operating at a reduced capacity to prevent spread of the virus.
Raya and the Last Dragon, starring Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina, is set in a fictional kingdom called Kumandra, based on the culture of Southeast Asia, where humans and dragons once lived in harmony, before the world fell into disarray. The story follows young princess named Raya goes on a journey to find the last known dragon in existence and once again unite the kingdom.
Saudi cinemas reopened last week after closing for a month due to COVID-19 safety regulations, with Raya and the Last Dragon opening in the Kingdom last Thursday as well. Box office numbers are yet unavailable.
The film has gotten a hugely positive reception from critics and audiences alike. The film currently holds a 96 percent critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.6/10 on IMDb, which is fan-voted.
Tom and Jerry brought in another 14,000 people for a 132,000 total tickets sold since its debut five weeks ago, dropping only slightly each week for a monetary total of $1.45 million.
Like Raya, admissions actually improved on the weekend before, in which Tom and Jerry sold 12,000 tickets.
The property is beloved throughout the Middle East and has been for generations since the property’s debut in 1940, with cartoons still regularly airing on television in the region.
Chaos Walking, which boasts an impressive roster of talent in Tom Holland, Daisy Ridley, Mads Mikkelsen, Nick Jonas and David Oyelowo as well as Bourne Identity director Doug Liman, brought in nearly 9,000 people for a fourth place finish.The film has been panned by critics.
The Mauritanian starring Tahar Rahim as a detainee at Guantanamo Bay and won a Golden Globe for supporting actress Jodie Foster, largely maintained its audience for another 3,500 admissions, down slightly from last week’s 4,400 admissions, 20,000 in total.
The Reckoning, an adventure horror film, opened at number 7 with 1500 tickets sold, with Don’t Look Back, another horror film, opening at 9 with 770 tickets sold.
Boss Level held on in its fourth week for a number 10 finish and 747 tickets sold, 13,000 in total.
