Saudi Thriller ‘Night Courier’ Beats ‘Wonka’ With Record Local Opening
Saudi director Ali Kalthami’s thriller Night Courier (Mandoob) has posted a record-breaking opening at home, generating 114,000 admissions for a $1.58 million gross to beat Warner Bros. blockbuster Wonka.
Front Row Arabia, the joint distribution label of Front Row Filmed Entertainment and local exhibitor muvi Cinemas, launched the title theatrically in all of Saudi Arabia’s 63 cinema theatres on 121 screens on December 14.
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Wonka, which also opened in Saudi on December 14, drew roughly 38,000 spectators for a $616,000 gross to come in second, followed by Studio Ghibli’s The Boy And The Heron.
Night Courier is the latest production from rising content company Telfaz11, which is already riding high this year on the back of the success of its freestyle wrestling comedy Sattar.
The opening numbers for Night Courier trump those of Sattar, which previously held the opening record for a Saudi film. That film, which was also handled by Front Row Arabia, drew 63,000 admissions at its opening and went on to sell 903,000 tickets and gross $11 million.
Night Courier has also posted the second biggest opening in Saudi Arabia for an Arab film after Egyptian romcom Bahebek (I Love You), which opened with 300,000 spectators in July 2022.
The successful Saudi opening for Night Courier follows its packed out local premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah earlier this month.
The film originally world premiered in Toronto in September before hitting the international festival circuit and makes its U.S. premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January.
The Riyadh-set drama stars popular Saudi actor Mohamad AlDokhei as Fahad, a man working as a night courier (mandoob) who gets caught in the crosshairs of an illegal alcohol ring.
In the backdrop, Fahad is struggling to come to terms with the deep societal changes set in motion by the opening-up of Saudi Arabia under its 2023 strategy.
His life and nocturnal deliveries take the spectator into the heart of a fast-changing Saudi Arabia.
Night Courier is Kalthami’s first feature. He has already achieved fame at home, however, as one of the three co-founders of Telfaz11 and for his viral YouTube videos which racked up billions of views ahead of the lifting of Saudi’s 35-year cinema ban in 2017.
“We took a leap into uncharted territory, exploring a new genre, and witnessing the audience’s enthusiastic embrace of the film is immensely gratifying,” said Kalthami.
“Mandoob [Night Courier] represents a significant shift in Saudi cinema, and I’m thrilled by the audience’s positive reaction. This success is a testament to the incredible efforts of the entire team, and I’m eager to continue pushing boundaries and creating impactful narratives in the Saudi film scene,” he added.
Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra said that the film’s successful opening proved the power of local-language films in Saudi Arabia.
“Only 13% of releases in 2023 were local-language and yet they’ve achieved over 36% of the Box Office, a steady growth from previous years. This prospect is hugely exciting for Arab cinema and we’d like to congratulate the whole Telfaz11 and Muvi Studios team on the film’s success,” he said.
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