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Anti-Patriarchy Saudi Drama ‘Hobal’ Beats Hollywood Titles, Becoming Standout Local Hit
Saudi drama 'Hobal' is beating Hollywood titles including "Mufasa: The Lion King" at the Saudi box office, rapidly becoming a local indie hit.
Significantly “Hobal,” which premiered at the Red Sea Film Festival in December, has been sustaining the momentum of its strong Jan. 2 opening with sold-out screenings across Saudi Arabia, even in rural areas “where audience engagement accounted for over 20% of total admissions,” according to a statement from the distributor. “Hobal” was largely shot in the new Bajdah Studios near the futuristic city of NEOM and in the desert and mountain landscapes along Saudi’s Red Sea coast in Tabuk. It is Alshlahei’s third feature, segueing from his groundbreaking drama “The Tambour of Retribution,” about the forbidden love between an executioner’s son and a wedding drummer’s daughter in turn-of-the-century Riyadh.
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