Eid Al Fitr 2024: The biggest movies coming to cinemas in the Middle East

Film fans can look forward to Kung Fu Panda 4, the latest Godzilla and Kong installment, as well as a new Bollywood thrill ride, among others

Godzilla and King Kong once again team up for an action adventure romp releasing during Eid Al Fitr 2024. AP

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

The last film in the ongoing Godzilla X Kong series saw the characters move from villains to heroes. AP

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

Nell Tiger Free in The First Omen. Photo: 20th Century Fox

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

Pyper Braun as Alice in Imaginary. Parrish Lewis/Lionsgate

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

Akshay Kumar and Tiger Jackie Shroff in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Photo: Akshay Kumar / Instagram

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.