Report published Cairo Film Communicationsduring Industry Days in Cairo (16-20 November), provides key insights into the latest trends in the Egyptian film industry, including the key role played by Saudi Arabia's growing exhibition and production sector.
Egyptian cinema is the oldest and largest in the Arab world, and its export success has fluctuated over the decades. Recently, the foreign market has become more profitable than the local one, especially for some Egyptian publications.
Saudi Arabia's fast-growing exhibition sector is the main source of box office revenue for nine of Egypt's top ten film exports between 2021 and 2024. About 27% of the top 65 films in Saudi Arabia's all-time box office are Egyptian.
A small number of Egyptian films have earned much higher earnings abroad than at home. Rom-com Bahebek (I Love You), starring Tamer Hosny, grossed $2.8 million at home but was a smash hit in West Asia, grossing $22.9 million overseas.
Other international hits include Sons of Rizq 3: Knockout (2024), which grossed US$6.1 million in Egypt and US$22.3 million overseas, and A Confrontation Fit a Man (2021), with US$1.7 million in Egypt and US$18.3 million overseas.
In 2024, Egyptian films ranked third in the Saudi Arabian market, behind US and Indian films. That same year, a total of 33 Egyptian films were released in Saudi Arabia, earning over $53 million, more than double the total revenue earned by all Egyptian films in their home market ($23.5 million).
The Egyptian-Saudi co-production is eligible for preferential tax treatment on box office revenue in Saudi Arabia. Recent examples include Hany Khalifa's thriller Flight 404, which is Egypt's official submission to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
The importance of overseas exports has been further reinforced by a drop in Egypt's dollar box office receipts, from $59.6 million in 2019 to a projected $36 million in 2025. This decline was caused by a significant depreciation of the Egyptian pound exchange rate. Box office receipts in local currency have actually doubled since 2019 due to double-digit inflation recorded since 2022.
The cinema industry in Egypt is still recovering from the slump caused by the pandemic. In 2024, admissions totaled 12 million and are expected to reach 13.8 million by the end of 2025, close to pre-pandemic levels.
The largest segment of Egypt's film audience is people aged 18 to 29, representing 20% of the total population and 42.7% of the workforce.
Egyptian films make up about 20% of all films released but take in almost 70% of the total box office, with American films accounting for 28.5% in 2025. Big-budget Egyptian comedies and action/adventure films have traditionally dominated the local box office. In 2025, two Hollywood films, Formula 1 and The Conjuring: Last Rites, made it into the top ten at the box office, marking the first time in several years that two foreign films have made it into the top ten.
Local audiences are no longer focused solely on big-budget productions. For example, Omar El Mohandes's mid-budget comedy Siko Siko, starring Essam Omar and Taha Desouki, grossed about $4 million in Egypt and another $4.2 million in Saudi Arabia, making it the second-biggest successful film in Egyptian film history.
Interest in arthouse works is also growing. Khaled Mansour's 2024 Venice film Finding Shelter for Mr. Rambo (2024) grossed $341,000, becoming Egypt's biggest arthouse release ever.
Synergy was the leading film distributor in recent years, but was overtaken by Misr International Films in 2025. In 2025, former Synergy manager Ahmed Badawi founded a new company, Film Square, which is gaining market share. The main distributor of foreign films, including Hollywood ones, is United Motion Pictures, which has overtaken several Egyptian film distributors thanks to the recent success of blockbusters such as Formula 1. A growing player is UVF, a subsidiary of Saudi media conglomerate Arab Radio and Television Network, which the CFC report said is involved in financing and distributing mid-budget Egyptian films as a prelude to their international release, especially in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
The CFC report also provides a comprehensive review of the results of the first 10 editions of the Cairo Film Connection, which, through its pitching, mentoring, and financial and in-kind rewards, has played a key role in helping Arab filmmakers complete their films and reach local and international audiences, including A-list festivals.
Recent successes include Four Daughters (2023) by Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia), which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, Inshallah a Boy (2023) by Amjad Al Rashid (Jordan), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and Aisha (2024) by Mehdi Barsaoui (Morocco), which premiered at the Venice film festival Festival.
