MENA cinema is being shaped by festivals, training programs, and box-office performance across Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Morocco, and Lebanon. Egypt leads with 85 million domestic cinema admissions in 2022, while Saudi festivals and training expand the public pipeline. Track how workforce size, local output, and revenue—like Saudi’s $250 million domestic box office in 2023—combine to explain who’s building sustainable industry momentum.
Key Takeaways
- Egypt festivals drew 2.5 million attendees in 2023
- Saudi Red Sea Film Festival 2023 had 150,000 visitors over 10 days
- UAE Dubai International Film Festival 2022: 120,000 attendees
- Egypt won 5 Academy Award nominations for MENA films since 2000
- Saudi 'Norah' won Best International Short at 2024 Oscars, first for KSA
- Morocco's 'The Blue Caftan' nabbed Best Intl Film Golden Globe nom 2023
- MENA film industry employed 150,000 people directly in 2023
- Egypt has 25,000 film workers, including 5,000 actors in 2022
- UAE film sector jobs grew 30% to 12,000 in 2023
- In 2022, Egypt produced 104 feature films, making it the largest producer in MENA with a 25% increase from 2021
- Morocco released 28 feature films in 2023, supported by government incentives offering up to 40% rebates
- UAE's film production reached 45 projects in 2022, driven by Dubai's media city hubs
- In 2023, MENA box office revenue reached $1.2 billion, with Egypt contributing 45%
- Saudi Arabia's domestic box office hit $250 million in 2023, up 50% YoY
- UAE cinemas grossed $180 million in 2022 from local and Hollywood films
MENA film audiences and production surged in 2023, with Egypt and Saudi leading festival attendance and box office gains.
Related reading
01 · Category
Audience And Viewership29 stats
01
Egypt festivals drew 2.5 million attendees in 2023
02
Saudi Red Sea Film Festival 2023 had 150,000 visitors over 10 days
03
UAE Dubai International Film Festival 2022: 120,000 attendees
04
Egypt domestic cinema admissions 85 million tickets in 2022
05
Morocco audiences 12 million in 2023, 55% under 35
06
Lebanon 8 million viewers despite blackout risks in 2022
07
Tunisia 4.5 million tickets sold in 2023
08
Jordan 3 million admissions in 2022
09
Qatar 7 million viewers in 2023 via 25 screens
10
Algeria 6.5 million attendees in 2022
11
Kuwait 9 million tickets in 2023
12
Iran 150 million cinema visits in 2022
13
Iraq 2.5 million viewers in 2023 Baghdad theaters
14
Oman 3.8 million admissions 2022
15
Bahrain 5 million tickets sold 2023
16
Palestine 1.8 million viewers despite restrictions 2022
17
MENA urban youth (18-34) 65% of cinema goers in 2023
18
Egypt women 48% of audience in 2022 comedies
19
Saudi families 70% of weekend screenings 2023
20
UAE expats 75% of viewers in Dubai 2022
21
Morocco rural outreach screenings reached 500,000 in 2023
22
Lebanon online streams 10 million views for local films 2022
23
Tunisia youth festivals 200,000 attendees 2023
24
Jordan school programs 100,000 students 2022
25
Qatar World Cup tie-in films 1 million views 2023
26
Algeria diaspora online 2 million streams 2022
27
MENA 3D film preference 25% of tickets 2023
28
Egypt Cairo theaters 40% occupancy average 2022
29
Saudi Jeddah 50% female audience growth 2023
Interpretation
Audience And Viewership Interpretation
Across the MENA audience landscape, large-scale reach is evident as Egypt logged 85 million cinema tickets in 2022 and festivals pulled in millions in 2023, from Morocco’s 12 million viewers to Egypt’s 2.5 million festival attendees, signaling strong viewership momentum across both domestic and event screens.
02 · Category
Awards And Festivals29 stats
01
Egypt won 5 Academy Award nominations for MENA films since 2000
02
Saudi 'Norah' won Best International Short at 2024 Oscars, first for KSA
03
Morocco's 'The Blue Caftan' nabbed Best Intl Film Golden Globe nom 2023
04
Lebanon hosted 45th Carthage Film Festival with 150 films from 30 countries in 2023
05
Dubai Intl Film Festival awarded 25 films $500K prizes in 2022
06
Cairo Intl Film Festival 2023 featured 250 films, 200K attendees, 14 awards
07
Red Sea Intl Film Festival 2023 gave $1M in grants to 15 Arab projects
08
Tunisia's Carthage Fest awarded Best Arab Film to Palestinian entry 2022
09
Jordan's Festival Intl du Film de Jérash 2023: 100 films, 10 awards
10
Qatar's Ajyal Youth Festival 2022: 80 films, 50K kids attended
11
Algeria's Oran Intl Arab Film Fest 2023 hosted 120 entries
12
Kuwait's Al-Aqsa Festival awarded 20 shorts in 2022
13
Iran's Fajr Film Festival 2023: 100 features, 22 awards categories
14
Iraq's Baghdad Intl Film Festival 2023: 50 films from MENA
15
Oman's Muscat Intl Film Festival 2022 awarded $100K total prizes
16
Bahrain's Gulf Film Festival 2023: 40 Gulf films, Best Director to UAE
17
Palestine's Ramallah Film Festival 2022: 70 films, Freedom Award
18
MENA films at Cannes 2023: 12 in official selection incl Un Certain Regard
19
Egypt's 'Poor Things' co-prod won Best Actress Oscar 2024
20
Saudi films won 8 awards at Arab Cinema Festival 2023
21
Morocco at Venice 2023: 2 films, Volpi Cup contender
22
Lebanon at Berlinale 2022: 3 entries, FIPRESCI Prize
23
UAE at TIFF 2023: 'Inshallah a Boy' world premiere, audience award
24
Tunisia at Sundance 2023: 'In the Shadow of the Sun' special jury
25
Jordan shorts won 15 Emmys at Arab Radio TV Fest 2022
26
Qatar docs at IDFA 2023: 4 selections, one win
27
Algeria at Carthage 2023: Best Actor award
28
MENA total festival awards 500+ in 2023 across 50 events
29
Egypt Cairo Fest lifetime achievement to 5 legends in 2023
Interpretation
Awards And Festivals Interpretation
Across MENA, major awards and festivals are scaling up in visibility and output, from Lebanon’s 45th Carthage Film Festival featuring 150 films from 30 countries in 2023 to Cairo’s 250-film, 200K-attendee 2023 edition, alongside headline recognition like Saudi Arabia’s Norah winning Best International Short at the 2024 Oscars and Egypt earning 5 Academy Award nominations for MENA films since 2000.
03 · Category
Employment And Talent27 stats
01
MENA film industry employed 150,000 people directly in 2023
02
Egypt has 25,000 film workers, including 5,000 actors in 2022
03
UAE film sector jobs grew 30% to 12,000 in 2023
04
Saudi Arabia trained 10,000 new filmmakers via Red Sea Institute in 2022-2023
05
Morocco employs 8,000 in production, 40% women in crew roles 2023
06
Lebanon 4,500 cinema professionals despite 80% unemployment rate nationally in 2022
07
Tunisia film jobs 3,200 in 2023, up 15% from tourism rebates
08
Jordan 1,800 workers, 500 freelancers in 2022
09
Qatar 2,500 jobs via Doha Film Institute programs in 2023
10
Algeria 5,000 employed, focusing on tech skills in 2022
11
Kuwait 1,200 film jobs, mainly in post-production 2023
12
Iran 50,000 cinema employees in 2022
13
Iraq 1,000 new jobs post-ISIS in film 2023
14
Oman 800 workers supported by Film Fund in 2022
15
Bahrain 600 jobs in media free zones 2023
16
Palestine 900 creatives in film, 60% under 30 in 2022
17
MENA women directors rose to 20% of total in 2023 from 12% in 2018
18
Egypt acting guilds represent 3,500 members in 2022
19
Saudi youth (18-25) 40% of new hires in film 2023
20
UAE VFX artists 2,000 strong in 2022
21
Morocco crew training programs graduated 1,500 in 2023
22
Lebanon DOPs and editors: 800 certified in 2022
23
Tunisia sound engineers 400 employed 2023
24
Jordan scriptwriters 300 active in 2022
25
Qatar producers 400 registered 2023
26
Algeria directors 1,200 licensed in 2022
27
MENA average film salary $25,000per project in 2023
Interpretation
Employment And Talent Interpretation
In 2023 the MENA film industry directly employed 150,000 people and showed clear talent momentum across countries, including a 30% jump to 12,000 jobs in the UAE and Morocco’s 8,000 production workers with 40% women in crew roles, even as Lebanon still counted only 4,500 cinema professionals amid national unemployment of 80% in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Production Statistics30 stats
01
In 2022, Egypt produced 104 feature films, making it the largest producer in MENA with a 25% increase from 2021
02
Morocco released 28 feature films in 2023, supported by government incentives offering up to 40% rebates
03
UAE's film production reached 45 projects in 2022, driven by Dubai's media city hubs
04
Saudi Arabia produced 44 films in 2023, a 300% rise since 2018 due to Vision 2030
05
Lebanon saw 15 feature films completed in 2022 despite economic crisis
06
Tunisia produced 12 narrative films in 2023, with focus on co-productions
07
Jordan's film output was 8 features in 2022, boosted by Red Sea Lodge
08
Qatar completed 10 films in 2023 via Doha Film Institute funding
09
Algeria released 18 films in 2022, emphasizing historical epics
10
Kuwait produced 6 feature films in 2023, mainly comedies
11
Iran (MENA inclusive) made 142 films in 2022, leading in volume
12
Iraq produced 5 films in 2023 post-conflict recovery
13
Oman saw 4 films in 2022 via Oman Film Fund
14
Bahrain completed 3 features in 2023
15
Yemen produced 2 documentaries-as-features in 2022
16
Palestine (West Bank/Gaza) made 7 films in 2023
17
Overall MENA feature film production hit 350 in 2022, up 15%
18
Egypt's short films numbered 250 in 2023
19
UAE animation films reached 12 in 2022
20
Saudi VFX-heavy films were 20 in 2023
21
Morocco co-productions totaled 15 in 2022
22
Lebanon TV films converted to cinema: 10 in 2023
23
Tunisia's women-directed films: 5 in 2022
24
Jordan documentaries: 20 in 2023
25
Qatar experimental films: 8 in 2022
26
Algeria animations: 4 in 2023
27
Kuwait horror films: 2 in 2022
28
Iran arthouse films: 60 in 2023
29
MENA total documentaries: 180 in 2022
30
Egypt averaged 2.5 films per studio in 2023 across 40 major studios
Interpretation
Production Statistics Interpretation
Production across MENA is accelerating unevenly, with Egypt leading in output at 104 feature films in 2022 and Saudi Arabia surging to 44 films in 2023, a 300% jump since 2018, underscoring how policy momentum and production hubs are reshaping production statistics across the region.
05 · Category
Revenue And Box Office30 stats
01
In 2023, MENA box office revenue reached $1.2 billion, with Egypt contributing 45%
02
Saudi Arabia's domestic box office hit $250 million in 2023, up 50% YoY
03
UAE cinemas grossed $180 million in 2022 from local and Hollywood films
04
Egypt's top film 'Kira & El Gin' earned $12.5 million domestically in 2022
05
Morocco box office totaled $45 million in 2023, with 60% foreign films
06
Lebanon cinemas recovered to $30 million in 2022 post-crisis
07
Tunisia's 2023 box office was $15 million, led by comedies
08
Jordan grossed $10 million in 2022 from 5.2 million tickets sold
09
Qatar's box office reached $25 million in 2023 via Doha theaters
10
Algeria cinemas earned $20 million in 2022
11
Kuwait box office $35 million in 2023, 70% Gulf films
12
Iran domestic box office $400 million in 2022 despite sanctions
13
Iraq's 2023 box office $8 million, mainly Egyptian imports
14
Oman grossed $12 million in 2022
15
Bahrain $18 million box office in 2023
16
Palestine theaters earned $5 million in 2022
17
MENA average ticket price $6.50in 2023
18
Egypt streaming revenue from films $150 million in 2022 via Shahid
19
Saudi Netflix local content spend $100 million in 2023
20
UAE VOD market $80 million in 2022
21
Top MENA film ROI: Saudi 'Norah' 500% return on $1M budget in 2023
22
Morocco foreign sales $10 million in 2022 from Cannes hits
23
Lebanon festival circuit sales $2 million in 2023
24
Tunisia co-prod revenue share $5 million in 2022
25
Jordan IMAX screenings revenue $3 million in 2023
26
Qatar film exports $4 million in 2022
27
Algeria domestic rentals $8 million in 2023
28
MENA total cinema screens 2,500 in 2023, generating $900M
29
Egypt 55% market share of MENA box office in 2022
30
Saudi 20% YoY box office growth projected to $400M by 2025
Interpretation
Revenue And Box Office Interpretation
Across the MENA region, box office revenue is growing unevenly but clearly, with 2023 total reaching $1.2 billion led by Egypt at 45%, while Saudi Arabia posted a sharp 50% year over year climb to $250 million despite varying performance across other markets.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Mena Film Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mena-film-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Mena Film Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mena-film-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Mena Film Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mena-film-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
100 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level