Saudi Arabia’s largest theatre operator Muvi Cinemas has announced the launch of Muvi Studios, a new production arm to focus on developing Saudi and Egyptian films. 

Saudi film veteran Faisal Baltyuor has been appointed chief executive of Muvi Studios. Formerly CEO of the Saudi Film Council, Baltyuor previously led an initiative with the Ministry of Culture to develop the Saudi film industry before founding the largest specialized Saudi film distribution company CineWaves Film in 2020. He is also a board member of Manga Production and holds several other roles in the Saudi film industry.

“The phenomenal success of Muvi Cinemas as a homegrown theatre brand has inspired us to move into original Arabic feature film production. The cash we’re investing in Muvi Studios will be used to produce a slate of top-quality Arabic movies. We aim to release a minimum of three films within the next 12 months,” Adon Quinn, CEO of Muvi Cinemas, said in a statement.

“The Middle East region, and especially Saudi Arabia, is witnessing a renaissance of its movie industry, and we are excited to have Faisal onboard to lead the company into this new venture to develop Saudi and regional film content to the big screen.”

“I have been collaborating with Muvi Cinemas since it launched three years ago. It has captured the nation’s imagination with 46% percent box office market share tapping into the pent-up demand for a globally inspired theatre experience complemented by local execution”, Baltyuor added.

“Now, through the creation of Muvi Studios, we intend to produce world-class Arabic movies to entertain audiences in the Middle East and around the world.”