SOUNDSTORM Concludes after 260 Hours of Music

A general view during MDLBeast Soundstorm 2021 on December 19, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Neville Hopwood/Getty Images
A general view during MDLBeast Soundstorm 2021 on December 19, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Neville Hopwood/Getty Images
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SOUNDSTORM Concludes after 260 Hours of Music

A general view during MDLBeast Soundstorm 2021 on December 19, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Neville Hopwood/Getty Images
A general view during MDLBeast Soundstorm 2021 on December 19, 2021 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Neville Hopwood/Getty Images

Music lovers said goodbye to the region’s largest music festival in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, SOUNDSTORM, after over 260 hours of music played on seven stages over three days.

Tickets to watch the greatest, global artists partaking in this gigantic musical manifestation were sold out as hundreds of thousands of people attended to enjoy all kinds of music on massive stages.

The last day of the festival was packed with the world’s greatest DJs and singers on all stages. The audience at the Big Beast stage were thrilled with DJ Afrojack and his collaboration with Egypt’s Mohamed Ramadan, as well as Marshmello, and David Guetta who played until 3:00 am.

Despite the cold weather encircling the Saudi capital these days, the festival added a special warmth, offering an exquisite, thrilling place that attracts any life lover. The music and the accompanying activities that entertained the visitors while moving from stage to another turned the festival into an endless pleasure.

In the Tent Beast, a giant tent equipped with several giant screens and lasers, visitors found the excitement zone where they can never feel bored. On its last day, the tent hosted long hours of music played by some of the world’s most known DJs including R3HAB, Steve Aoki, and Lost Frequencies who spent the whole night entertaining thousands of fans.

The Down Beast stage was dedicated to those who wanted to stay away from loud music and dancing, and sat to listen to quiet music with their loved ones. Down Beast concluded its days with Palestinian singer Elyanna with her peaceful, tender voice, Jorja Smith, followed by the band Autostrad, and finally with Shkoon.

The four Underground stages entertained their audiences with renowned artists including Amber Broos, Kayan, Rash, Carl Cox, and many others DJs who played techno music and high-pitch rhythms that turned the spectators into storms of singing and dancing.

Most of the visitors agreed that these three days were among the most entertaining days they have ever witnessed; the ambiance they experienced during SOUNDSTORM were full of joy, music, and entertainment accompanied with the best services, foods, and beverages.

The SOUNDSTORM festival brought together over 100 artists from around the world to perform for hundreds of thousands of spectators. This year’s edition hosted the best DJs and singers including DJ Khaled, Post Malone, Bruno Mars, Busta Rhymes, in addition to Arabic singers such as Nancy Ajram, Myriam Fares, Majid al-Muhandis, Amr Diab, and Mohamed Hamaki.



‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

 People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

 People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)

With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year.

Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, “Gladiator II” was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Coliseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, “Gladiator II” has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally.

Going into the weekend, box office was down about 11% from last year and some 25% from pre-pandemic times. That meant this week's two headline films led a much-needed resurgence for theaters. With “Moana 2” releasing Wednesday, Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“This weekend’s two strong openers are invigorating a box office that fell apart after a good summer,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the “Barbenheimer” effect of last year, when “Barbie" and “Oppenheimer” launched simultaneously. The nickname this time, “Glicked,” wasn’t quite as catchy and the cultural imprint was also notably less. Few people sought out a double feature this time. The domestic grosses in 2023 – $162 million for “Barbie” and $82 million for “Oppenheimer” – were also higher.

But the counter-programming effect was still potent for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” which likewise split broadly along gender lines. And it was again the female-leaning release – “Wicked,” like “Barbie” before it – that easily won the weekend. About 72% of ticket buyers for “Wicked” were female, while 61% of those seeing “Gladiator II” were male.

And while “Barbenheimer” benefitted enormously from meme-spread word-of-mouth, both “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” leaned on all-out marketing blitzes.

Both movies pulled out all the stops in global advertising campaigns that spanned everything from “Wicked” Mattel dolls (some of which led to an awkward recall) to an Airbnb cross-promotion with the actual Colosseum in Rome. For “Gladiator II,” Paramount even took the unusual step of simultaneously running a one-minute trailer on more than 4,000 TV networks, radio station and digital platforms.

Though “Wicked” will face some direct competition from “Moana 2,” it would seem to be better set up for a long and lucrative run in theaters. Even at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film has had mostly stellar reviews. Audiences gave it an “A” on CinemaScore. The reception for “Wicked” has been strong enough that Oscar prognosticators expect it to be a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards, among other categories.

Producers, perhaps sensing a hit, also took the step of splitting “Wicked” in two. Part two, already filmed, is due out next November. Each “Wicked” installation cost around $150 million to make.

“Gladiator II” has also enjoyed good reviews, particularly for Washington's charismatic performance. Audience scores, though, were weaker, with ticket buyers giving it a “B” on CinemaScore. “Gladiator II” will make up for some of that, however, with robust international sales. It launched in many overseas markets a week ago, earning $87 million before landing in North America.