Kuwait Showbiz Latest News and Updates

EXCLUSIVE: LA management and production firm Grandview has brought on Laila Alsabah and Quinn Crum as Talent Managers. The pair were most recently Talent Coordinators at ICM.

EXCLUSIVE: The documentary film team at Netflix might be popping champagne corks together right about now, if Covid didn’t inhibit the whole in-person office scenario. They’ve got a lot to celebrate.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentSaudi Arabia is leading the way as streaming platforms continue to gain traction in top Arab markets, where revenues from the SVOD market in 2021 grew a yearly 29% to $453 million.New research from Media Partners Asia reveals that Saudi accounted for more than half of the revenues. However, the pay-TV sector in Gulf Arab states suffered a 10% drop in revenues to $631 million in 2021, compared with 2020.The pay-TV sector in the region is now expected to further contract to $436 million by 2026, according to the report, which looks at streamers, pay TV and free TV across the six oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  By contrast, SVOD revenue in the Gulf is projected to grow from its current level of $453 million to reach $667 million by 2026, “driven by improvements in connectivity, elevated levels of pay-TV cord cutting and the launch of new global platforms,” the report said.While Saudi Arabia accounted for more than half of the Gulf’s $453 million SVOD intake, the UAE, despite having a much smaller population, generated $125 million, which is 28% of the region’s 2021 SVOD revenues.Nevertheless, profitability “remains a challenge,” noted Media Partners analyst Aravind Venugopal, since competition will soon be steeped with more streamers set to enter what will soon become a crowded Arab streaming field.

Transgender woman Maha al-Mutairi was jailed in October 2021 for “imitating the opposite sex” in Kuwait

“Death on the Nile” was being released in the rest of the Middle East over the weekend, according to Deadline.Gadot, 36, served in the Israeli armed forces for two years, as is required of all young Israelis, before she entered show business.It’s not the first time the former Miss Israel’s nationality has caused controversy as tensions persist between the two warring nations.

Lebanon and Kuwait won’t be playing "Death on the Nile," Deadline has confirmed, and that’s unfortunately due to both countries’ protest of Israeli native star Gal Gadot. Gadot served in the Israeli military for two years prior to becoming a model and actress, as her native country mandates it. Given her connection to the IDF, Lebanon previously blocked the actress’ movie "Wonder Woman" from release in May 2017.

“Death On The Nile” is ramping up to be a blockbuster success but it won’t be shown in Lebanon or Kuwait.

Lebanon and Kuwait won’t be playing Death on the Nile, Deadline has confirmed, and that’s unfortunately due to both countries’ protest of Israeli native star Gal Gadot.

Refresh for latest…: Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home scaled fresh heights this session as it reached an amazing new milestone by crossing the $1B mark at the international box office. The offshore cume through Sunday is an estimated $1.003B for a global total of $1.74B.

Naman Ramachandran The Walt Disney Company’s streamer Disney Plus has confirmed a summer 2022 launch across Europe, Africa and West Asia in 42 countries and 11 new territories. New countries for the service include South Africa, Turkey, Poland and the United Arab Emirates.The countries that the streamer will launch in include Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Oman, Palestine Territories, Poland, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Vatican City and Yemen.

according to The Wrap. The movie was initially targeted to open in Saudi Arabia on Dec.

Musical fans in the Gulf states won’t be getting to see the new “West Side Story”.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterSome audiences in the Middle East won’t get to experience the epic love story between Maria and Tony.Disney and 20th Century’s “West Side Story,” director Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the classic musical, has been banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. In some cases, like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the film wasn’t granted a release certificate.

Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” will not screen in the Middle East nations of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as other countries, TheWrap has confirmed. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait both did not grant the film a release certificate, while local censors in Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates had requested cuts that Disney and 20th Century Studios opted not to make, an individual with knowledge said, and the film will not be released to those markets.

West Side Story will not be playing in a few Middle Eastern countries when it debuts this week.

Disney/20th Century Studios’ West Side Story is due to begin international box office rollout on Wednesday this week, but it will not be heading to movie theaters in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar or the UAE, Deadline has learned. While an official reason has not been made public, the situation is believed to be related to the character called Anybodys.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentWhen “Eternals,” the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe featuring a gay superhero, rolls out in the Arab world on Thursday, the Disney-distributed blockbuster will, unsurprisingly, skip releases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, mainly due to its LGBTQ+ content.

Eternals has been banned in multiple countries over the film’s gay content, a decision star Angelina Jolie called “ignorant.”Jolie, who plays Thena in Chloé Zhao’s film, told news.com.au that she was “sad” for audiences in multiple Gulf nations, including Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, where the film has been banned from opening.According to Deadline, censors in the conservative countries allegedly lobbied Disney to remove multiple scenes from the Eternals, particularly those depicting a

Deadline reported yesterday that Marvel’s latest juggernaut, The Eternals, will not be shown in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman. The film — which contains the MCUs first same-sex kiss — was due to open in those markets on November 11, but censors sought further cuts beyond any scenes of same-sex intimacy. Disney opted not to make the edits, hence distribution certificates weren’t issued.

Weighing in. Amid the news that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman have dismissed theatrical releases of Marvel’s Eternals over censorship complaints, star Angelina Jolie opened up about her thoughts on the “ignorant” decision.

Marvel’s Eternals will not hit cinemas in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait or Qatar due to a same-sex kiss scene.According to The Hollywood Reporter, Eternals has been pulled from release in those countries after Disney refused a number of edit requests by local censors.Sources claimed the requests revolved around the inclusion of a same-sex married couple, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and Ben (Haaz Sleiman), who have a son and share a kiss in the film.

Some Marvel fans in the Middle East will be missing out on the franchise’s latest blockbuster.

Eternals will not be screening in certain territories.

The anticipated robust overseas box office of Disney/Marvel’s Eternals, which posted a first day of $7.6M, will definitely not have Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman in its future release plans.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentMarvel’s “Eternals,” which features the first MCU gay superhero, has been banned in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries ahead of its planned Nov. 11 rollout across the Gulf region.Sources have confirmed that despite the film being publicized across the region on the websites of local multiplex chains, such as top local exhibitor Vox Cinemas, “Eternals” won’t be playing in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentNetflix, which has been steadily growing its subscribers in the Arab world, has teamed up with Kuwait-based production studio NCIG (National Creative Industries Group) to set up a writers’ lab that will spawn six series projects from writers based in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.The plan is to turn them into market-ready pitch decks on which the streaming giant will have the right to a first look.The Arabic series incubator initiative, which is called NCIG

Afghan refugee fleeing to the UK gave birth to a baby girl at 30,000 feet while on an evacuation flight destined for Birmingham.Soman Noori, 26, was travelling on an evacuation flight from Dubai to Birmingham, having previously left Kabul, when she went into labour in airspace over Kuwait, Turkish Airlines said.There was no doctor on board the flight, forcing the Turkish Airlines cabin crew to deliver the baby girl, who has been named Havva by her mother and father, 30-year-old husband Taj Moh

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Earlier this week, Prince William had a chat with seven young environmentalists.

U.S. Army Spc.

direct to your inboxChristmas fresh food supply chains could be 'seriously disrupted' after the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel closed to all traffic leaving the UK.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLos Angeles-based U.S.

Films by Oscar-nominated Lebanese directors Nadine Labaki and Ziad Doueiri are to be screened in the Middle East to raise money for the Red Cross following the devastating explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorMiddle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and the Kuwait National Cinema Company are partnering with Gulf arthouse venue Cinema Akil for the Beirut Disaster Relief Screenings.Ziad Doueiri’s West Beirut and Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? will screen today at Cinema Akil with repeat screenings this coming weekend, Friday 14 August and Saturday 15 August.

Jake Kanter International TV EditorByron Allen’s Allen Media Group division Entertainment Studios is to launch seven of its networks in the Middle East on Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company’s Du platform. The deal was brokered by SAWA Rights Management.

Also Read: 'Clueless' 25 Years Later: These Are Writer Amy Heckerling's Favorite LinesTo avoid posting the entire screenplay, here are — in no particular order — 25 of the best quotes and exchanges from the 90s classic:“Ugh, As If.” — Cher“Oh my God I’m totally buggin’.” — Cher“You’re a virgin who can’t drive.” — Tai“She’s my friend because we both know what it’s like to have people be jealous of us.” — CherCher: “I’m just having a snack at my girlfriend’s.”Mel: “Where, in Kuwait?”Cher: “Is that