Pavarotti, first major documentary film to release in Saudi Arabia

Pavarotti, a documentary on the life and work of opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, is set to become the first major documentary feature to be released in Saudi Arabia on July 25.

Front Row Filmed Entertainment, the Middle-East independent film distributor and the Kuwait National Cinema Company (KNCC) own all MENA rights for the title which will be released at VOX and AMC cinemas.

This comes 15 years after Front Row broke new ground in the region by being the first distributor to release a documentary theatrically in Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11.

Directed by Academy Award winner Ron Howard and produced by the same team behind The Beatles: Eight Days A Week, the documentary features diverse performances and intimate interviews, including never-before-seen footage shot by Dolby Atmos technology.

Pavarotti was initially released in the US by CBS Films on June 4 on nineteen screens to critical and commercial acclaim, achieving the second highest per-theatre average on its opening weekend and boasting a 88% critic score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, alongside a 97% audience score.

The documentary will continue its expansion in the US and is expected to reach four hundred screens by mid-July.

Commenting on the film, Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row Filmed Entertainment, said: “Luciano Pavarotti was and still is a musical and cultural icon. His voice united people from all corners of the world and he was an inspiration to millions.”

“We are incredibly proud to be representing Pavarotti and for it to be the first major documentary to be released in Saudi Arabia as we are firm believers in its potential to captivate audiences in the Kingdom.”

Front Row/KNCC will also be releasing the documentary across key theatres in the GCC and Lebanon on July 4. Tickets will be available soon on the cinema websites across the region and on the AMC and Vox Cinemas websites in Saudi Arabia.