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Arabic box office · 2020

Arabic Box Office 2020: Highest-Grossing Arabic Movies

Papicha (2020) is the highest-grossing Arabic-language movie released in 2020, with $2.1M worldwide, ahead of Miss (2020) at $770.3K and The Thief of Baghdad (2020) at $535.3K. 12 Arabic-language films released in 2020 report a worldwide gross, $4.1M in all, 1% of it from the US & Canada. That is down 71% on 2019, whose releases took $14.4M. By genre, Drama leads with $3M across 5 Arabic releases.

2020 releases with a gross
12
combined worldwide
$4.1M
Papicha (2020), the #1
$2.1M
vs 2019
−71%
Papicha (2020) movie poster #1 of 12
#1 Arabic-language movie of 2020

Papicha (2020)

2020 · Drama

$2.1M worldwide · 51% of the chart's total

No US & Canada figure reported
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Arabic Hits of 2020?

Papicha (2020) leads with $2.1M, 51% of the total. The top 5 together took $3.8M, 92% of what all 12 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Papicha (2020) movie poster Number 1
    $2.1M Papicha (2020)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  2. Miss (2020) movie poster Number 2
    $770.3K Miss (2020)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  3. The Thief of Baghdad (2020) movie poster Number 3
    $535.3K The Thief of Baghdad (2020)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  4. Vernacular Plan (2020) movie poster Number 4
    $207.3K Vernacular Plan (2020)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. The Washing Machine (2020) movie poster Number 5
    $139K The Washing Machine (2020)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Arabic Release of 2020, Ranked by Worldwide Gross

Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 2020.

  1. 1 Papicha (2020) movie poster
    Papicha (2020) May 29, 2020 · Drama $2.1M worldwide
    May 29, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.1M
  2. 2 Miss (2020) movie poster
    Miss (2020) Feb 21, 2020 · Drama $770.3K worldwide
    Feb 21, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $770.3K
  3. 3 The Thief of Baghdad (2020) movie poster
    The Thief of Baghdad (2020) Jan 22, 2020 · Action, Comedy $535.3K worldwide
    Jan 22, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $535.3K
  4. 4 Vernacular Plan (2020) movie poster
    Vernacular Plan (2020) Oct 6, 2020 · Comedy, Crime $207.3K worldwide
    Oct 6, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $207.3K
  5. 5 The Washing Machine (2020) movie poster
    The Washing Machine (2020) Jul 30, 2020 · Comedy, Sci-Fi $139K worldwide
    Jul 30, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $139K
  6. 6 Masameer: The Movie (2020) movie poster
    Masameer: The Movie (2020) Jan 5, 2020 · Animation, Action $119.9K worldwide
    Jan 5, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $119.9K
  7. 7 The Dissident (2020) movie poster
    The Dissident (2020) Dec 25, 2020 · Thriller, Crime $102K worldwide
    Dec 25, 2020 US and Canada: $57K Rest of the world: $45K Worldwide: $102K
  8. 8 Ghost in Transit (2020) movie poster
    Ghost in Transit (2020) Sep 11, 2020 · Comedy $69K worldwide
    Sep 11, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $69K
  9. 9 High School Girls (2020) movie poster
    High School Girls (2020) Jan 6, 2020 · Drama $19.3K worldwide
    Jan 6, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $19.3K
  10. 10 A Horrible Grandpa (2020) movie poster
    A Horrible Grandpa (2020) Jul 30, 2020 · Comedy $19.1K worldwide
    Jul 30, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $19.1K
  11. 11 The Book of Sun (2020) movie poster
    The Book of Sun (2020) Jul 22, 2020 · Drama, Thriller $12K worldwide
    Jul 22, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $12K
  12. 12 Prophecy (2020) movie poster
    Prophecy (2020) Apr 17, 2020 · Documentary $7.6K worldwide
    Apr 17, 2020 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7.6K
Gross bands

How Many 2020 Releases Crossed $100 Million?

None of the 12 films reached $100M. 12 films, 100% of the list, earned under $10M. Each band shows its films and its share of the $4.1M total.

  • $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $100M to $500M 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • $10M to $100M 0 films, 0% of the list No films
  • Under $10M 12 films, 100% of the list $4.1M · 100% of the gross
By release month

Which Month of 2020 Earned the Most?

May releases took the most, $2.1M from 1 film, led by Papicha (2020). April was the quietest month ($7.6K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

  1. January Jan The Thief of Baghdad (2020) $674.5K The Thief of Baghdad (2020)
  2. February Feb Miss (2020) $770.3K Miss (2020)
  3. March Mar No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  4. April Apr Prophecy (2020) $7.6K Prophecy (2020)
  5. May May Papicha (2020) $2.1M Papicha (2020)
  6. June Jun No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  7. July Jul The Washing Machine (2020) $170.1K The Washing Machine (2020)
  8. August Aug No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  9. September Sep Ghost in Transit (2020) $69K Ghost in Transit (2020)
  10. October Oct Vernacular Plan (2020) $207.3K Vernacular Plan (2020)
  11. November Nov No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  12. December Dec The Dissident (2020) $102K The Dissident (2020)
Last 10 years

How Does 2020 Compare With Previous Years?

Of these 10 years, 2018 earned the most: $70.6M from 21 films, led by Capernaum (2018). 2020 took $4.1M.

Year Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
2011 8 films 8 $4.1M – When Pigs Have Wings (2011) $2.7M
2012 12 films · +300% 12 $16.4M +300% Where Do We Go Now? (2012) $7.5M
2013 11 films · −15% 11 $13.8M −15% Wadjda (2013) $6.5M
2014 12 films · −47% 12 $7.3M −47% Vitamin (2014) $2.4M
2015 10 films · −47% 10 $3.9M −47% Much Loved (2015) $1.3M
2016 18 films · +12% 18 $4.4M +12% Under Table (2016) $1.2M
2017 19 films · +51% 19 $6.6M +51% The Nile Hilton Incident (2017) $4M
2018 21 films · +969% 21 $70.6M +969% Capernaum (2018) $64.4M
2019 24 films · −80% 24 $14.4M −80% The Passage (2019) $2.6M
2020 12 films · −71% 12 $4.1M −71% Papicha (2020) $2.1M
By genre

Which Arabic Genres Earned the Most in 2020?

Drama took $3M across 5 films, 74% of the total, ahead of Comedy ($1.1M) and Action ($655.2K). A film counts once for each of its genres.

2020 Arabic Box Office by Genre

  1. Drama $3M
    5 films · #1 Papicha (2020)
  2. Comedy $1.1M
    7 films · #1 The Thief of Baghdad (2020)
  3. Action $655.2K
    2 films · #1 The Thief of Baghdad (2020)
  4. Adventure $535.3K
    1 film · #1 The Thief of Baghdad (2020)
  5. Crime $309.3K
    2 films · #1 Vernacular Plan (2020)
  6. Fantasy $139K
    1 film · #1 The Washing Machine (2020)
  7. Sci-Fi $139K
    1 film · #1 The Washing Machine (2020)
  8. Animation $119.9K
    1 film · #1 Masameer: The Movie (2020)
  9. Thriller $114K
    2 films · #1 The Dissident (2020)
  10. Documentary $109.6K
    2 films · #1 The Dissident (2020)
Archive

Arabic Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1965 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2018 leads with $70.6M, led by Capernaum (2018).

2020s 7 years · $84.4M
2010s 10 years · $160.9M
2000s 10 years · $120.9M
1980s 1 year · $1.3K
1970s 1 year · $309
1960s 2 years · $994.7K
FAQ

Arabic Box Office 2020: Questions & Answers

The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 12 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing Arabic-language movie in 2020?

Papicha (2020) leads with $2.1M worldwide. Next come Miss (2020) at $770.3K and The Thief of Baghdad (2020) at $535.3K.

How much did Arabic-language movies released in 2020 earn?

12 Arabic-language films released in 2020 report a worldwide gross, $4.1M in all, or $342.5K per film on average. 2019 releases took $14.4M.

How many Arabic-language movies released in 2020 made $1 billion?

None. The biggest, Papicha (2020), earned $2.1M.

How much of the 2020 Arabic box office came from the US and Canada?

$57K of the $4.1M total, or 1%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 11 films of the 12 report no domestic figure.

How is the 2020 Arabic box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 2020. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact, and so are films whose stored language is most likely wrong.

How often is the 2020 Arabic box office chart updated?

Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.