Saudi action-comedy Alzarfa: Escape from Hanhounia Hell has topped the box office at home in its opening weekend beating global hit Jurassic World: Rebirth which also launched in the Gulf territory on July 3.
The heist caper is produced by Alshimaisi Films and Telfaz11, the company behind the all-time local box office hit Sattar, in partnership with Big Time Fund. Qanawat handles distribution.
Alzarfa drew 184,000 admissions and earned a box office gross of $2.4M (SAR 9M) in its three days on release according to figures provided by Comscore and Saudi Film Commission.
It raced past F1, which opened the previous weekend, with the Brad Pitt-starring movie drawing 138,800 spectators in the same period for a $2.4 (SAR 8.4M). To date, the motor racing drama has drawn 219,000 spectators for a $3.5M (SAR 13.5M) gross in the territory where Formula One has a strong following.
Dangerous Animals, which is in its fifth week on release, came in third for the three-day period, drawing 61,200 cinemagoers for a $773,000 (SAR 2.9M) gross, followed by Jurassic World: Rebirth which sold 47,800 tickets for $700,000 (SAR 2.6M).
The Alzarfa opening performance marks one of the strongest openings of the year for a local film.
The action comedy is the feature directorial debut of Abdullah Majed, whose previous credits include short film Safraa’s Night and TV drama Ureem: Balcony Hotel.
The movie revolves around unlikely heroes Hamad, Ma’an and Sanad who attempt to steal the golden Rashrash from a private museum owned by eccentric billionaire Abdullatif Al-Hanhouni.
The botched operation them in Al-Jufra, a high-security prison, where they meet a wild cast of inmates and plot a chaotic escape to retrieve the treasure, now hidden on the set of Al-Hanhouni’s lavish historical epic.
The cast features Mohammed Shaif, Hamed Sharari, Ahmed Al-Kaabi, and Ibrahim Alkhairallah, with a special appearance by international actor Robert Knepper (Prison Break).
“It’s incredibly exciting to see another Saudi film take the lead during a packed summer slate,” said executive producer and Alshimaisi Films CEO Ibrahim Alkhairallah. “Following the success of Sattar, Alzarfa is further proof that audiences are craving locally-rooted stories told in our own voice but on a scale that can rival the biggest global titles.”
Alzarfa is now showing across Saudi cinemas and gearing up for a wider GCC rollout in the coming weeks.
