If you’re a cinema junkie looking to enjoy the silver screen with friends and family, there are lots of budget-friendly options in the UAE.

Get your dose of celluloid at the upcoming Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) or head out to cinemas in the city for regular movie nights. And for UAE cinema discounts and ticket offers, look no further than your own wallet or phone.

Save at the movies

Other than credit card offers you can check with your mobile service provider for discounts on cinema tickets. You can also head out to some of the open-air movie venues across the UAE, which screen all-time popular movies for free – or even watch a West End theater play for much less, live at the cinema here. Here are a few deals.

Provider Offer Locations Details
Du Tuesdays Buy one ticket to get the second free at VOX cinemas. Across the UAE. Examples: VOX in Dubai at Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre, Deira City Centre. VOX in Ajman City Centre, Fujairah City Centre, Al Hamra Mall (Ras Al Khaimah). VOX in Abu Dhabi at Marina Mall, Yas Mall. SMS ‘MOVIE’ to 9979 from your Du line. Use the two for one coupon you get to buy tickets for any movie.
Etisalat Wednesdays Buy one ticket to get the second free at Novo cinemas. Across the UAE. Examples: Novo in Dubai at Dubai Festival City, Al Ghurair Centre. Novo in Sharjah at Buhairah Centre, Sahara Centre. Novo in Abu Dhabi at World Trade Centre Mall, Bas Mall (Baniyas), Abu Dhabi Mall. This promotion is currently suspended. You can check for the next offer dates online.
MasterPass Get free popcorn at Novo cinemas when you pay for movie tickets through MasterPass. Across the UAE. Examples: Novo in Dubai at Dubai Festival City, Al Ghurair Centre. Novo in Sharjah at Buhairah Centre, Sahara Centre. Novo in Abu Dhabi at World Trade Centre Mall, Bas Mall (Baniyas), Abu Dhabi Mall. MasterPass is a digital wallet* for online shopping. You can register all your MasterCard credit cards or debit cards or prepaid cards here. Be sure to tick the MasterPass option for any online purchase.
Pyramid Rooftop Gardens Watch outdoor movies for free every Sunday from 8:30 pm. Wafi, Oud Metha There is no reservation. The movie night is open to all for FREE, on a first come first serve basis.
Poolside, Emirates Golf Club Watch outdoor movies for free every Friday from 6:30 pm at the Emirates Hills There is no reservation. The movie night is open to all for FREE, on a first come first serve basis.
La Playa Lounge Watch movies and football matches every Friday and Saturday from 6:00 pm. Dubai Marina Pay AED 50 to enter. You can sit through any number of movies and matches.
London’s National Theatre  Theater at the movies – see plays screened live from on a movie screen. Al Quoz’s Courtyard Playhouse Next up – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time, live on Saturday 13 December for AED 80.

* Related: Contactless payments finally taking off in UAE

Dubai Film Festival 2014 offers and packages

Running from 10 – 17 December 2014, you can expect to spot Hollwood stars Emily Blunt, Kelsey Grammer, Eva Longoria and Keira Knightley and Bollywood’s Anil Kapoor and John Abraham or Arab stars Nour Al Sherif and Nadine Labaki at the 11th edition of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

The festival will open with the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything. A total of 118 features, film shorts and documentaries will be screened during the festival, including 44 world premiers and 11 international premiers. DIFF 2014 will end with Johnny Depp starrer Into the Woods.

Single tickets at the festival start from AED 35 for regular screenings and AED 15 for students. You can get to a gala screening for AED 100. To get cheaper prices, you can opt for bundled packages:

Package What you get
25-ticket package Get  up to 10 tickets for 25 regular film screenings for AED 550, which brings down the price per film to AED 2.2. This package does not cover gala screenings.
10-ticket package Get  up to 10 tickets for 10 regular film screenings for AED 275, which brings down the price per film to AED 2.75. This package does not cover gala screenings.
Red carpet gala package Get one ticket for each day of the gala screenings (total of seven tickets) for AED 500. This package brings down the price per film to AED 71 – however, it excludes entrance into the opening ceremony and awards ceremony.
Arab film package, documentary film package, cinema of the world film package Each package costs AED 80 and gives you one ticket to each of three film screenings. This package brings down the price per film to AED 27. This package does not cover gala screenings.

Also, a great way to maximize your savings at DIFF 2014 is to buy tickets with Emirates NBD’s cards, which have an exclusive buy-one, get-one free offer for the regular film screenings at the festival.

UAE credit card offers for cinema tickets

For movie buffs looking for credit cards in the UAE that offer cinema deals, we’ve rounded up a few with a minimum salary requirement of AED 12,000 per month or less.

You can compare the full list of credit cards with similar movie discounts in our cinema cards section.

Cards Cinema offer Great for Watch out for
SimplyLife Credit Card
  • Get two free tickets per month at any cinema in the UAE.
  • 1.5 percent cashback on all spends.
  • No annual fee.
  • Minimum salary: AED 8,000
  • Minimum spend of AED 1,500 per month required.
  • Maximum price of tickets: AED 70.
 Call me back
Emirates NBD Go4it Gold Card
  • Get two VOX cinema tickets for AED 40 instead of AED 70.
  • Get a free upgrade to the next size on fizzy drinks and popcorn.
  • Available at any VOX cinema across the UAE.

 
  • Use as an RTA Nol card for rides on the metro, bus, water-bus and parking meters.
  • Earn Plus Points on all spending.
  • Get free rides on the Dubai Ferry for yourself, a guest and two children every 2nd and 4th Friday.
  • Dining, flight & holiday discounts plus a buy-one, get-one-free Go4it Card Voucher booklet.
  • No annual fee.
  • Minimum salary: AED 5,000
  • Maximum of two packages (four tickets) per month.
  • Discount only for tickets purchased online and only for regular 2D tickets.
 More info
NBAD GEMS Credit Card
  • Buy tickets for AED 10 on weekdays & AED 20 on weekends at Reel Cinemas, The Dubai Mall.
  • Buy tickets for AED 15 on weekdays & AED 25 on weekends at Reel Cinemas, Dubai Marina Mall.
  • Get 25% off snacks & refreshments at both locations on weekdays and 15% off on weekends.
  • 0% plans for school fees and discounts at all GEMS schools.
  • Airport lounge access in Dubai, Kuwait, Cairo, Jeddah and Riyadh.
  • Earn NBAD Stars on all spending: redeem them for air miles.
  • No annual fee.
  • Maximum of eight tickets per month.

 

 More info
Citi Life Platinum Visa
  • Buy one ticket at VOX cinema online or through the VOX mobile app and get the second free.
  • Available at any VOX cinema across the UAE.

 
  • Earn CitiDollars on all spending: redeem them for your annual fee back or vouchers.
  • Free valet parking and access to 20+ airport lounges globally.
  • Discounts on flights, hotels, car rentals and cash vouchers when you refuel your car.
  • Minimum salary: AED 8,000
  • Annual fee: AED 300
  • Maximum of three free tickets per month.
 Call me back
United Arab Bank FC Barcelona Platinum Card
  • Get 50% off tickets at VOX cinemas when you book online.
  • Available at any VOX cinema across the UAE.
  • Earn Barca points on all spending: redeem them for FC Barcelona merchandise, flight tickets, hotel stays and electronics discounts.
  • Golf privileges and travel deals.
  • No annual fee.
  • Minimum salary: AED 10,000
  • Maximum of six tickets in one day.
 Call me back
Standard Chartered Titanium Card
  • Get 50% off tickets at VOX cinemas.
  • Available at any VOX cinema across the UAE.
  • Cashback: up to 10% on supermarket spends, utility bills and school fees.
  • Access to airport lounges.
  • Buy-one, get-one-free offers and discounts through the Standard Chartered privileges program.
  • Minimum salary: AED 12,000
  • Annual fee: AED 500
  • Maximum of six tickets in one day.
  • No discount on VOX Plus, VOX Plus 3D, VOX 4DX.
  • Tickets can be bought online, but not on the VOX mobile application.
 Call me back
 Visa
  • Buy one gold ticket at VOX cinema with the Infinite card to get the second free.
  • Buy two gold tickets at VOX cinema with the Signature card to get the third free.
  • Available at any VOX cinema across the UAE.
  • This is a network offer for all Visa Signature and Infinite cards.
  • Buy tickets online or at the box office.
  • Buy a maximum of three VOX GOLD or VOX GOLD 3D tickets in one day.
  More info