Egyptian action film Project X is directed by former doctor Peter Mimi. Photo: Synergy Art Production
Egyptian action film Project X is directed by former doctor Peter Mimi. Photo: Synergy Art Production
Egyptian action film Project X is directed by former doctor Peter Mimi. Photo: Synergy Art Production
Egyptian action film Project X is directed by former doctor Peter Mimi. Photo: Synergy Art Production

Eid Al Adha 2025: The biggest movies coming to Middle East cinemas


Faisal Al Zaabi
  • English
  • Arabic

With Eid Al Adha approaching, anticipation is growing for the films set to be released during the holiday.

This year, Eid Al Adha is expected to fall on June 6. While many of the summer’s biggest blockbusters will be released later in June and July, there’s a nice selection of films coming out this Eid for fans of action and horror.

Here are the major releases coming to cinemas in the UAE for Eid Al Adha 2025.

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Ana de Armas in Ballerina, a film in the John Wick universe. Photo: Lionsgate
Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Ana de Armas in Ballerina, a film in the John Wick universe. Photo: Lionsgate

The John Wick films have grown in popularity with each instalment. As a result, the Keanu Reeves-fronted film series about a skilled assassin has now spawned a cinematic universe. The first spin-off from the series was a television show titled The Continental: From the World of John Wick, which was released in 2023.

The second spin-off is a film titled Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas. Reeves also appears in the film, but the focus is expected to be on de Armas and her character’s journey. Ballerina is directed by Len Wiseman, who previously directed Underworld. The film also stars Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston and Gabriel Byrne.

Project X

Karim Abdel Aziz stars in Project X, an Egyptian action film directed by doctor-turned-filmmaker, Peter Mimi. The film follows a police officer fighting an antiquity smuggling gang in Europe.

Mimi previously directed Abdel Aziz in the 2024 Ramadan series The Assassins. Project X also features other talented Egyptian actors, including Essam El Sakka, Mariam El Gendy, Eyad Nassar and Yasmine Sabri.

Thug Life

Silambarasan TR in Thug Life. Photo: Raajkamal Films International
Silambarasan TR in Thug Life. Photo: Raajkamal Films International

Mani Ratnam, considered one of the greatest living directors in India, directs the South Indian film Thug Life. The film stars Kamal Haasan, Pankaj Tripathi, Trisha Krishnan, Sanya Malhotra and Silambarasan TR.

Ratnam, who previously directed the popular Shah Rukh Khan film Dil Se.. in 1998, is known for his profound storytelling and socially relevant themes. Haasan and Ratnam reunite for the first time since their last collaboration in 1987’s Nayakan. The film’s music is composed by frequent Ratnam collaborator AR Rahman.

The Bitter Taste

The Bitter Taste pays homage to horror films from the 1980s. Photo: Youtube / Screen grab
The Bitter Taste pays homage to horror films from the 1980s. Photo: Youtube / Screen grab

The Bitter Taste, directed by Guido Tolke, is a horror-action film that follows a retired pentathlete who is captured by the undead Countess Badesky and her cursed followers. The pentathlete must revive her athletic skills to survive a deadly hunt.

The film pays homage to 1980s horror and adventure classics, drawing inspiration from The Evil Dead, The Thing and From Dusk Till Dawn. The Bitter Taste stars Julia Dordel, Nicolo Pasetti, Anne Alexander-Sieder and John Keogh.

Dangerous Animals

Hassie Harrison portrays a trapped surfer in Dangerous Animals. Photo: An Independent Film Company
Hassie Harrison portrays a trapped surfer in Dangerous Animals. Photo: An Independent Film Company

Survival horror film Dangerous Animals, directed by Australian filmmaker Sean Byrne, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight on May 17. The film, which stars Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney and Josh Heuston, follows a surfer with a troubled past who is abducted by a shark-obsessed serial killer, who films his victims being fed to sharks.

The Monster Beneath Us

The Monster Beneath Us is a Gothic horror film set in 1898 Yorkshire, England. Photo: Youtube / Screen grab
The Monster Beneath Us is a Gothic horror film set in 1898 Yorkshire, England. Photo: Youtube / Screen grab

Directed by Sophie Osbourne, The Monster Beneath Us is a Gothic horror film set in 1898 Yorkshire, England. The story follows a grieving widow, who returns to her late husband's ancestral home, Doloridge Manor, with her young son. As they settle into the eerie mansion, the son discovers a mysterious creature lurking in the basement, forming an unsettling bond with it. The mother, unaware of the creature's presence, begins to experience strange occurrences that heighten her anxiety and fear.

The Monster Beneath Us stars Becca Hirani, Marshall Hawkes, Nicola Wright and Jennifer Lim.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
Silent Hill f

Publisher: Konami

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Rating: 4.5/5

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The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
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The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

Sonchiriya

Director: Abhishek Chaubey

Producer: RSVP Movies, Azure Entertainment

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey

Rating: 3/5

Results

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)

5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

TICKETS

For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.

The%20Hunger%20Games%3A%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20%26%20Snakes
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General%20Classification
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MATCH INFO

Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
 
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned

Dubai Women's Tour teams

Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport 
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club 
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

French business

France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

The%20specs
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THE LOWDOWN

Romeo Akbar Walter

Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher 

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
  • Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
  • Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France

The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
​​​​​​​Princeton

England's Ashes squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. 

The bio

Who inspires you?

I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist

How do you relax?

Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.

What is favourite book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times

What is your favourite Arabic film?

Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki

What is favourite English film?

Mamma Mia

Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?

If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.  

 

Updated: May 30, 2025, 6:25 AM