The Saudi Arabian action film '7 Dogs' has already managed to break box office records for a local production in the Middle East. The production, drawing attention with its huge budget and international star cast, earned over $10.3 million in its first week.
New action from Hollywood-experienced directors
Directed by the Belgian duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, who have helmed major Hollywood projects such as 'Bad Boys for Life' and 'Bad Boys: Ride or Die', the film follows Interpol agent Khalid Al-Azzazi and Ghali Abu Dawood, a former member of the global crime organization '7 Dogs', in their struggle to stop a deadly drug planned to be spread across the Middle East.
The story belongs to Turki Al al-Sheikh, Chairman of the Saudi Arabian Entertainment Authority. The lead roles are shared by Egyptian stars Karim Abdel Aziz and Ahmed Ezz. The cast also includes world cinema's well-known names such as Monica Bellucci, Giancarlo Esposito, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Martin Lawrence and Max Huang.
Esposito converted to Islam during filming
Turki Al al-Sheikh had previously announced in a statement that American actor Giancarlo Esposito, who is in the film's cast, converted to Islam by reciting the Shahada during filming.
"At a level to compete with Hollywood"
Film critic Sadi Çilingir, evaluating the film, emphasized the production quality, saying, "It is a huge production prepared with great care, at a level to compete with Hollywood productions. I think it will achieve a very successful result at the box office, a film definitely worth watching."
Çilingir stated that the project, realized with Saudi Arabia's goal of revitalizing the cinema sector, is commendable, and noted that Saner Ayar, one of the important producers of Turkish cinema, supporting the film as an investor is valuable. Çilingir, who approached the news about veteran actor Esposito converting to Islam with caution, said the following:
This situation, which I often encounter on television, seemed to me a bit like a promotional effort for the film, but I hope it is a genuinely sincere step. On the other hand, Martin Lawrence's appearance as a guest star in the film is a nice tribute to the 'Bad Boys' series that the directors previously made.
Game aesthetics with a $40 million budget
Another film critic, Kerem Akça, said the film is a very energetic production with eye-catching scenes thanks to its $40 million budget. Akça, who expressed that the production never makes the audience feel its length and keeps itself watchable from start to finish without losing pace, made the following assessment:
The directors had already proven themselves in Hollywood. Here too, they have done a very successful job. 7 Dogs has the potential to turn into a strong series with its espionage theme, which could have a sequel. The film has a very successful structure with a video clip dynamism and a computer game flow blended with comic book aesthetics.
Akça noted that the news about Esposito converting to Islam is also interesting, and underlined that this situation could positively contribute to the film's global promotion. The production, which draws attention with its international cast, will meet moviegoers on June 26 in IMAX, 4DX and ScreenX formats, with subtitled and dubbed options.
