Cinemas across Cairo and New Cairo will change their programmes on Wednesday, with Egyptian films such as Matloub Aelyan, Wala Kan Ala Al-Bal and Nasib sharing screens with international titles at multiplexes from City Stars to Madinaty, according to the weekly cinema listings published by Al-Ahram Weekly.
The listings cover venues including Americana Plaza in Sheikh Zayed, City Centre Almaza, Dandy Mall, Downtown, Madinaty, Al-Rehab, Stars at City Stars, Zamalek and the Zawya art house. Standard showings begin at 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm, with late-night screenings on weekends.
Egyptian titles anchor the new season
At the heart of the programme is a cluster of Egyptian productions that have drawn audiences through the autumn. Matloub Aelyan (Family Wanted) appears at almost every venue on the list, from Americana Plaza and City Centre Almaza to the VIP halls at Stars and the Deluxe screens.
Wala Kan Ala Al-Bal (Out of the Blue) runs alongside it at Americana Plaza, City Centre Almaza, Dandy Mall, Downtown, Madinaty, Al-Rehab, Stars, Deluxe and Zamalek. Nasib (Fate) is booked at Dandy Mall, Downtown, Madinaty, Al-Rehab, Stars and Deluxe.
At Stars in City Stars Mall, audiences can also catch Saqr wi Kanarya (Falcon and Canaries) and Moscow Cairo, two titles that place Egyptian storytelling beside the imported slate.
An art house window on the region
The Zawya cinema on Emadeddine Street in Downtown carries a smaller, more selective programme: Anyab, Digger, Hope and No Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman.
That last title has travelled far since its premiere. The film follows Vyan, a Kurdish sniper who survived the war by shutting down her feelings, and who learns that her younger sister, missing since ISIS overran the region in 2014, may still be alive in Mosul, Gulf News reported in its UAE cinema roundup.
It is a story of female revenge against the men of the caliphate, and it has found an audience beyond the region. As DMovies noted, the film is a solemn revenge thriller that came out of the ninth El Gouna Film Festival. Its presence in Cairo is a reminder that Egyptian screens remain a meeting point for Arab and regional cinema, not a closed market.
Family fare and the international slate
Beyond the local titles, the listings show a broad international menu. Clayface is the most widely booked foreign film, running at Americana Plaza, City Centre Almaza, Dandy Mall, Downtown, Madinaty, Stars, Zamalek and in the MX4D and DBOX formats. The Odyssey takes the IMAX screen at Americana Plaza and also plays at City Centre Almaza. Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Verity, Soy and Whalefall fill out the action and thriller slots.
For families, The Dino Family, Heart of the Beast, Other Mommy, The Smurfs: Timeless Adventure and The Magic Faraway Tree are on offer at Madinaty, City Centre Almaza, Dandy Mall and Americana Plaza. Avengers: Endgame Encore returns to the Open Air Mall in Madinaty.
The spread of venues tells its own story. From Sheikh Zayed on the western edge of Greater Cairo to Al-Rehab and Madinaty in the east, the cinema map now follows the new cities, the malls and the highways that have redrawn the capital over the past two decades. A family in Madinaty no longer needs to drive to Downtown for a Friday night showing.
Showtimes and practical notes
All films screened in commercial cinemas change on Wednesday. Shows generally begin at 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm, and sometimes at midnight, especially at weekends.
Special film seasons and screenings are held in cultural centres listed below the commercial cinemas in the Al-Ahram guide. The listings are correct at the time of going to press, but venues advise checking directly for short-notice changes.
- Americana Plaza, Sixth of October, Sheikh Zayed, next to Ceramica Cleopatra behind Hyper One. Tel: 010 2002 0033
- City Centre Almaza, Sheraton Al-Mattar, Cairo-Suez Road
- Dandy Mall, beginning of the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road. Tel: 018 919 6438
- Downtown, 8 Emadeddine St. Tel: 02 2579 8367
- Madinaty, Open Air Mall, New Cairo
- Al-Rehab, Mall 1, Al-Rehab City, New Cairo. Tel: 010 9493 9119
- Stars, City Stars Mall, Omar Ibn Al-Khattab St, Heliopolis. Tel: 02 2480 2013/4
- Zamalek, 13 Shagaret Al-Dorr St. Tel: 02 2735 0320
- Zawya, 15 Emadeddine St, Downtown. Tel: 010 1433 1779
What the November programme says about Egyptian cinema
The balance on Cairo screens this week is worth noting. Egyptian films hold the most bookings, not the imported blockbusters. Matloub Aelyan and Wala Kan Ala Al-Bal appear on more venue lists than any Hollywood title, and the Egyptian titles are the ones filling the VIP and Deluxe halls where ticket prices are highest.
That is a market signal. Local production is not a charity slot before the foreign feature; it is the commercial core of the week. The audiences turning out for these films are the same families filling the new malls in Madinaty and Al-Rehab, and the industry is reading their choices closely.
The week also shows the value of the art house circuit. Zawya gives Cairo viewers a film like No Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman that would otherwise bypass the multiplexes, and it does so in the same Downtown block where the city's older cinemas once stood. The setting suits the subject.
Frequently asked questions
When do Cairo cinemas change their films?
All films screened in commercial cinemas change on Wednesday, according to the Al-Ahram Weekly listings.
What time do shows usually start?
Standard screenings begin at 10:30am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 6:30pm and 9:30pm, with some midnight shows at weekends.
Where can I see No Paradise if You Are Killed by a Woman in Cairo?
The film is listed at Zawya in Downtown and at Americana Plaza, City Centre Almaza, Dandy Mall, Madinaty and other venues on the Al-Ahram guide.
Which Egyptian films are showing this week?
Matloub Aelyan, Wala Kan Ala Al-Bal, Nasib, Mahmoud Al-Tani, Moscow Cairo and Saqr wi Kanarya are among the Egyptian titles on the listings.