In 2023, revenue from foreign film productions in Morocco soared to an impressive 1.109 billion dirhams, marking the highest level since 2015, as highlighted in a recent report from the Moroccan Film Center.
Leading the charge was “Gladiator II,” boasting a substantial budget of 306 million dirhams. Following closely were the series “Atomic,” with a budget of 150 million dirhams, and the German series “The Terminal List,” which had a budget of 125 million dirhams.
This influx of foreign film investment comes as the Moroccan film industry rebounds strongly from the setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had disrupted operations for over a year. The release of numerous Moroccan films that were postponed due to the pandemic in 2023 has played a significant role in this resurgence.
Data from the Moroccan Film Center reveals that the top 30 highest-grossing films in Moroccan cinemas generated a combined 63.193 million dirhams in revenue for the year, with Moroccan films contributing 29 million dirhams to that total.
At the forefront of the local cinema scene was “Dadous,” which emerged as the year’s top-grossing film. This engaging narrative attracted over 164,000 viewers, raking in 8.7 million dirhams at the box office. The film follows a young man struggling with mental health issues, leading him into the complexities of the criminal underworld.
Other notable Moroccan films included “Jouj” and “Nayda,” which captured the third and fourth highest-grossing spots, respectively. Remarkably, Moroccan comedies outperformed major Hollywood hits, such as “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Avatar: The Way of Water,” securing four of the top five places at the box office.
This success story is attributed to the growing diversity and quality of local productions, as well as a rising sense of national pride and support for Moroccan cinema. Hollywood films also made their mark on the Moroccan box office, with “Barbie” leading the foreign film rankings at 4.879 million dirhams, followed by “Oppenheimer” at 3.962 million dirhams, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1” with 3.144 million dirhams, and “Avatar: The Way of Water” at 2.878 million dirhams.
