Remember the Film El-Eid experience? The good old days of Eid cinema outings, once an essential ritual as integral as Kahk and Fatta, are lost today due to industry decisions. Cinema visits are now not only expensive but also less accessible and overshadowed by unnecessary controversy, signaling a deeper problem for cinemas.
What was once the ultimate family Eid experience is now filled with real-life drama that no one really cares about, as well as production politics that make it extremely difficult to just enjoy the process. Worst part? We know it’ll be on some sort of streaming platform, so why even bother?
All of this begs the question: are cinemas in Egypt dead?
The Barrage of Controversy
Big blockbuster films have always driven the Eid season, and Asad is no exception. It was made to be a commercial success, yet it’s entangled in more controversy and outside drama than the actual film’s plot. After the release of 7 Dogs, a decision to limit Asad’s screenings undermines both the Eid tradition and the industry’s commercial logic, suggesting political interests now override audience demand and industry health. More importantly, it killed any sort of competition in the industry.
It sounds like a distributor issue, but it’s not. At the same time, Asad is struggling to find screens at home; it’s gearing up for a worldwide release in the US, Canada, Australia, and China in June. It’s clearly in demand. Why would a film release worldwide while being blocked from screenings in its own home country?
The reality is much uglier than poor distribution. The competitor film, 7 Dogs, basically bought out the media’s bottom of the barrel, launching a vocal, coordinated attack against the creators of both Ramadan and Asad to tip the scales. Now, before anyone thinks we believe the creators of 7 Dogs are paying those people, we don’t. We truly believe this had nothing to do with money, and it’s merely about getting into those powerful people’s good graces, which, to be honest, is even sadder.
What started as a highly organized smear campaign quickly turned into an organic echo chamber of people who have not even seen the movie. The film was never marketed as a historical documentary, yet it faced massive, manufactured backlash for being “Afrocentric.” The discourse got so ridiculous that some online “historical experts” even claimed slavery never existed in Egypt. A delusional conversation for another time, but you get the idea.
To be clear, this is not a blind defense of the movie. But realistically, almost none of the criticism has anything to do with the film’s actual quality. Instead, the attacks target a cast and a storyline that the critics do not even know, proving that the battlefield has shifted from the box office to coordinated character assassination.
When cinemas and distributors put audiences in the awkward position of struggling to find a single screening just to satisfy industry beef, they’re practically shooting themselves in the foot and begging moviegoers to just wait for streaming.
Which takes us to our next issue.
Pricing Out Your Main Source of Revenue
The ever-rising ticket prices are now just unrealistic when you know the film will be on your screen for free in a month or two.
Rising fees are pricing out a big chunk of the Egyptian market. Ticket prices in major cinemas now start from 150 EGP, making it a comfortable 750 EGP for a family of five to watch an Eid movie. Let alone the cost of transportation, food, and drinks.
With streaming platforms more abundant than ever, blockbusters are becoming increasingly hard to justify. The urge to skip the cinema altogether is becoming increasingly appealing.
The trend becomes even more apparent when you remember that there used to be cinemas where you could buy a single ticket to watch multiple screenings. Nowadays, this is a foreign concept, so much so that I didn’t even know it existed until recently. Tickets are getting pricier, and movies are becoming increasingly inaccessible, yet people are still somehow confused as to why no one goes to the cinema anymore.
To make matters worse, Egyptian films are heading to streaming platforms mere months after their theatrical releases, sometimes appearing on both platforms and in cinemas simultaneously. Such is the case with Bershama, which is still in cinemas but has also been on streaming platforms just three months after its release.
So at this point, why would anyone pay 150 EGP to watch a film they can watch from the comfort of their own home, on a platform whose subscription costs less than most cinema tickets?
This looks even worse when you consider how long movies used to stay in theatres. Salam Ya Sahby spent a full six months in theatres. Sahar El-Layaly spent 16 weeks in cinemas. Bershama has the option to stay in cinemas for even longer, yet it’s choosing the safest option. And yes, there were no streaming platforms during the time of Salam Ya Sahby and Sahar El-Layaly, but the cinema experience was sacred back then as well.
The Experience Itself Is Broken
The issue isn’t just production, however. Let’s ask the basics: what happened to our manners?
Cinema etiquette has fallen through the floor. People are talking during films, scrolling through bright phone screens, and kicking the seat in front of them. Call me old-school, but I remember a time when these were unwritten rules we simply wouldn’t break. You’d silence your phone, turn down the brightness, and avoid talking during the film. And if you really had to say something, you’d whisper. Not have full-blown phone calls and conversations.
Why go through all of that when I can wait a couple of months and watch the same film from the comfort of my own home? Without anyone kicking my seat or blinding me with their brighter-than-the-sun screen. When I’ve already paid 150 EGP just for the ticket.
Less Visibility
All of this makes it harder for smaller films to get any screen time or meaningful revenue from a theatrical release. It also makes it almost pointless to spend money on advertising campaigns. Why would you? Most people will just wait for streaming anyway. Cinemas used to be the battleground where all films competed. Now they’re the battleground for only the big blockbusters, and the battlefield itself may be changing.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Egyptian cinema is heading in the right direction, production-wise. But the industry may be about to fall head-first into a full-on streaming takeover. Pair that with industry politics, high ticket prices, and an all-around unenjoyable cinema experience, and you have the recipe for the possible eradication of independent cinemas.
Filmmakers and distributors need to focus much more on making films with soul and an actual story to tell, rather than on disrupting the competition. They need to make films that make the audience feel they need to watch them right now. Films that just wouldn’t feel the same if you didn’t see them in the cinema, instead of films that just look expensive without any real substance behind them.
Will the industry pull itself out of this potential nosedive? Or will we continue falling head-first into the transition to streaming and the death of movie theatres? Tell us what you think in the comments.
