UAE accelerates to open more drive-in cinemas, with even a free one on track

If the sold-out sign for the new Vox Cinemas Drive-in theatre has you down, then here’s a bit of good news: more concepts are in the pipeline and opening up soon.

Emaar’s Reel Cinemas took to its social media over the weekend to announce that a new drive-in concept is being launched by the retail giant soon, which will be at The Dubai Mall Zabeel. More details on the opening date, location and pricing are awaited.

The Reel Cinemas news came a day before the opening of the new Vox Cinemas Drive-in theatre, which will welcome members of the public today at Mall of the Emirates level 3. Tickets for the first week of screenings have already sold out at the cinema.

Meanwhile, Sharjah has also shifted gears to launch its very own drive-in cinema experience at Madar at Aljada. The recently-opened family destination in the emirate has scheduled the opening for July 1, with the ‘Movie Nights at Aljada’ aiming to showcase “a wide range of films throughout the summer period and beyond, in a fun and secure environment”, according to a statement.

Similar to the 7.30pm evening screenings at Vox Cinemas, Movie Nights at Aljada will take place on a daily basis from 8pm and will be free to enter with spots available on a first come, first served basis. Visitors to the permanent cinema, which has a capacity of 150 vehicles, will be allocated designated parking spaces and will be able to access the sound of the movie via FM radio.

Visitors will also be able to order directly from Zad at Aljada, the new food district featuring 17 different types of cuisine, from their vehicles. Meals will then be delivered to cars in a contactless manner.

The cinema is being launched in collaboration with Dubai-based Urban Entertainment, the company behind a number of outdoor cinemas in the UAE, including the Habtoor Resort’s Urban Outdoor Cinema.

According to press statement, the full schedule of films will be uploaded onto the Aljada website a few days before the launch date, along with being available on its Facebook and Instagram social media channels.

“Movie Nights at Aljada is a significant addition to the list of attractions on offer at Madar at Aljada, and it is also our way of thanking the Sharjah community for its strength and resilience during these exceptionally challenging times. We look forward to welcoming guests back to Aljada and providing them with a safe form of entertainment,” said Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, Chairman of Arada, in a statement.

In an interview with Gulf News, Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim – Cinemas, told the daily that they were also not ruling out opening up new drive-in concepts in the future, be it in the UAE or Saudi Arabia.

“At present we are launching the concept at Mall of the Emirates, but given our desire to continue to create great moments for our customers, additional drive-in experiences will be considered in the future based upon the success of the concept in Dubai,” Mitchell stated.