Eid Al Fitr is a time for celebration and family gatherings after a month of fasting. For many, it also signals a return to cinemas. Attendance traditionally drops during the holy month, with a greater focus on home entertainment, but films released during Eid draw a huge crowd.
This Eid Al Fitr, film fans can look forward to a wide selection of major releases, from an animated fun adventure to the scary and horrific. As we look ahead to the upcoming holiday, which is expected to fall on April 10, here are the major releases coming to cinemas in the UAE for Eid Al Fitr 2024.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Jack Black returns to voice the funny and loveable Po in the fourth Kung Fu Panda film, eight years after the release of the third film in the series. Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Ke Huy Quan also star in the film, and are joined by Awkwafina, Viola Davis and Bryan Cranston.
Po’s new enemy is a shape-shifting chameleon that absorbs the powers of other characters and assumes their shape to fight. The martial arts animated film series has long been a hit with people of all ages, with Black dropping humorous one liners as his character Po overcomes enemies with his Kung Fu prowess.
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
After the release of Dune: Part Two, a film made to be enjoyed on the largest screen available, fans can look forward to another larger than life experience in the coming weeks, as Godzilla and King Kong take on a new set of colossal beasts in their latest team-up.
Subtitled The New Empire, the film is the fourth film in the latest American Godzilla film series which kicked off in 2014. It stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry and Dan Stevens, and is directed by horror film filmmaker Adam Wingard.
The first Godzilla and Kong film, released in 2021, grossed little over $400 million in global box office ticket sales, one of the biggest hits in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The new film promises to be a larger-than-life romp which matches the size and scale of the monsters on screen.
The First Omen
The horror series that gave us Damien, the son of Satan, returns with a prequel that shows the origin story of Father Brennan, an integral character in The Omen films.
The series, which started in 1976 with a Richard Donner-directed film that starred Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, since spawned many sequels. A remake was released in 2006 starring Live Schreiber and Julia Stiles, though it didn’t have the same cultural impact the first film did.
The First Omen stars Bill Nighy, Charles Dance and Ralph Ineson and is directed by newcomer Arkasha Stevenson.
Imaginary
If The First Omen isn’t enough of a scary experience, fans will also be treated to the latest Blumhouse Pictures production which has previously given us horror films like M3gan and Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The story revolves around a teddy bear occupied by an evil spirit which a child perceives as her imaginary friend. After the child grows up, she returns home to discover her friend wasn’t imaginary after all.
The movie stars DeWanda Wise and Betty Buckley and is directed by Jeff Wadlow, whose previous films include Truth or Dare and Never Back Down.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan
Bollywood film fans can look forward to a new action film starring Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. Trailers for the film show a military adventure experience with helicopters and gunfire aplenty.
Partly shot in the UAE and Jordan, the film is directed by Ali Abbas Zafar, who previously directed Sultan in 2016 and Tiger Zinda Hai in 2017.
Much like many other Bollywood films, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan also has big song number shot in Jordan's Wadi Rum. The song, titled Wallah Habibi, is composed by Vishal Mishra with lyrics from Irshad Kamil and choreography by Bosco-Ceaser.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
South Africa World Cup squad
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock (w), JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Rassie van der Dussen.
RACECARD
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (PA) $50,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
6.35pm: Festival City Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
7.10pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic – Listed (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 2,410m
7.45pm: Jumeirah Classic Trial – Conditions (TB) $150,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (D) 1,600m
8.55pm: Cape Verdi – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Dubai Dash – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,000m
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
RESULTS
6.30pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,200
Winner: Miqyaas, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Untold Secret, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Shanty Star, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
8.15pm: Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Alkaamel, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
8.50pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Speedy Move, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Quartier Francois, Fernando Jara, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
