beIN MEDIA GROUP Renews Partnership with Front Row Filmed Entertainment
After 8 years of successful collaborations, beIN MEDIA GROUP (‘beIN’), the global sports, entertainment, and media group, has renewed its multi-year first-run agreement with leading Middle East and North Africa (MENA) indie film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment for a further three (3) years until 2027.
The deal secures exclusive Pay 1 window for both beIN’s linear and Subscription Video-on-demand (SVOD) windows for Western independent feature films across the MENA region including titles in the likes of Michael Gracey’s Robbie Williams fantastical biopic ‘Better Man’; Sophia Coppola’s “Priscilla”; the Oscar-winning sensation “Anatomy of a Fall” Anton and Charade’s big budget animation “The Night of the Zoopocalypse”, the Rooney Mara lead acclaimed drama ‘La Cocina”, the crime comedy “Greedy people” with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Lily James, and Himesh Patel, the ensemble dramedy “Ezra” with Robert De Niro, Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Rainn Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg; the psychological thriller “Mother’s Instinct” with Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain; the high concept thriller ‘Bad Genius” by the producing duo Patrick Wachsberger and Eric Feig (The Hunger Games Saga; The Divergent Series; Twilight Saga); the 4th installment of the Vin Diesel lead Riddick franchise “Riddick: Furya”; “The Smashing Machine” starring Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson, among many others.
Moreover, ‘Cliffhanger’ Reboot starring Sylvester Stallone, the English-language remake of the Thai hit ‘Bad Genius’ from Oscar-winning producer Patrick Wachsberger (Coda, Twilight), as well as Paolo Sorrentino’s latest “Parthenope” among other premium titles will premier exclusively in the MENA region on beIN’s linear movie channels as well as their OTT platform, TOD.
Front Row Filmed Entertainment has been an important partner ever since beIN expanded its portfolio to include entertainment content, so we are very pleased to be continuing this relationship. The partnership with Front Row Filmed Entertainment aligns with beIN’s continued strategic push into the entertainment industry – particularly featuring and producing exceptional original content across our group of companies, especially our OTT platform TOD.
Esra Altop, Chief Entertainment Content Officer, beIN MEDIA GROUP
We are ecstatic to continue our successful relationship with beIN and their respective team and most of all thrilled that our movies will be available on beIN’s channels and platforms across the MENA region. We aim to continue a strong partnership with the beIN team, catering to their large and dedicated audience. We will also keep striving to reach new audiences in the region through creative acquisitions – which we are best known for. This deal is a testament to recognition!
Gianluca Chakra, CEO, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
Every year, Front Row acquires over 120+ independent feature films worldwide. In partnership with Empire Entertainment, they also set up Front Row Productions and put out their first film ‘Perfect Strangers’ (2022) which shot to #1 most viewed on Netflix MENA and #3 on Netflix worldwide.
The next original production from the Front Row team is the atmospheric drama ‘The Sandcastle’ starring Nadine Labaki and Ziad Bakri, which is currently in post-production. They have also begun production on their upcoming crime-thriller “Boomah” (The Owl) directed by Zaid Abu Hamdan (Daughters of Abdel-Rahman) and starring Rakeen Saad from Netflix’s highly successful “Al Rawabi School for Girls.”
Front Row also backed the development of Rocket Science’s big-budget reboot ‘Cliffhanger’ which aims to shoot in Q1 of 2025.
