Hans Zimmer Lifts The Curtain On Groundbreaking Cinema Score

Oscar-winning movie theme composer Hans Zimmer has unveiled a sweeping score for the Middle East’s VOX Cinemas which ushers in a whole new world for the film industry.

It is believed to be the first time that a movie score composer has created a theme tune for a theater chain and it sends out a strong signal of confidence in the cinema sector following a decline during the pandemic.

Film fans will recognize cues in Zimmer’s theme for VOX which sound similar to those from his most memorable scores such as Man of Steel and Wonder Woman 1984. Zimmer is famous for his use of 1990s synthesisers, electric and bass guitars which all feature heavily in the VOX theme. It is authentically Zimmer and distinctly Emirati as Arabic instruments can also clearly be heard.

“Arabic instruments, Hollywood orchestration and those unforgettable 90s sounds come together to tell a story that’s emotional, timeless, and true to the region,” says Zimmer. VOX is comfortably the biggest theater chain in the Middle East with more than 620 screens in its portfolio. It is also the region’s highest-grossing exhibitor and is on a roll as admissions increased 2% to 19.9 million in 2024.

As this author revealed in local title Arabian Business, VOX expects its theaters to exceed pre-pandemic revenue this year. To drive this growth, VOX is launching an emotional campaign tomorrow called Fall in Love with Film. It celebrates how its cinemas have become the setting for a myriad of milestones at the heart of visitors’ lives, from family outings to the start of friendships and marriages.

The campaign tells the story of a young boy’s journey through life starting when his parents take him to the cinema for the first time at VOX. They bring home a popcorn bucket which the child wears as a crown whilst pretending to be a superhero. Years later when he is an adult he sees the bucket which reminds him to take his own son to a VOX cinema. There they buy a new popcorn bucket and the cycle begins anew.

For an advert, the attention to detail is astounding. For example, the bucket starts out showing the original logo used by VOX when the chain was founded 25 years ago and at the end of the advert it magically morphs into the current version on the new popcorn container. Ingeniously, the present-day trip to the cinema also allows VOX to show how it has changed over time with bookings made online and its theaters now featuring lounges as well as the kind of seats you find in first-class aircraft cabins.

This explains why VOX cinemas have become places where people come to hang out rather than just watch movies which makes the story in the advert all the more relevant.

Zimmer’s involvement in it was driven by VOX’s operator, Majid Al Futtaim entertainment. It is run by Ignace Lahoud, one of the most skilled and experienced managers in the industry. Lahoud has an MBA from C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston and is a 27-year veteran of the The Walt Disney Company. This included a stint as chief financial officer of Disneyland Paris where he presided over one of the greatest periods of growth for the theme park resort. He rose up to become executive vice president and chief financial officer of Disney Consumer Products & Interactive Media before joining Majid Al Futtaim in 2021.

Lahoud and his supremely talented sales and marketing team came up with the groundbreaking idea of getting Zimmer involved and it struck a chord with him. Zimmer says that throughout his career his mission has been to bring people together through his music which precisely aligns with VOX’s approach.

“At VOX Cinemas, we’ve been leading the evolution of the cinema experience and the quality offered not just in the region, but on a global scale,” says Lahoud. “But the true heart of our story is our customers. For years, they’ve trusted VOX as the place where memories are made – where laughter, love and even quiet reflection come to life.”

Lahoud explains that his team were looking for a theme that reflects this emotional connection “and through the story, visuals and Hans Zimmer’s unforgettable score, we believe we’ve done just that.”

Zimmer’s theme won’t just be heard in the cinemas themselves but also at other customer service interaction points. It is in the grand tradition of Hollywood studios such as Universal, with its jingle which plays as the letters of its logo rotate around the globe, whilst the bars of ‘As Time Goes By’ from Casablanca form the theme at the start of movies made by Warner Bros.

“We wanted a sound that was cinematic at its core, but unmistakably VOX,” says Zimmer. “VOX has truly pioneered the cinema experience in the Middle East – a region that is very close to my heart – and I wanted to reflect the role they’ve played in shaping people’s most cherished memories.”

The theme is designed to be a sonic brand identity which becomes synonymous with VOX so when customers hear it they think of its cinemas. It is a smart strategy as music can be used to communicate to customers without using language. This is helpful as, according to government data, more than 200 nationalities are resident in the United Arab Emirates, which is home to Majid Al Futtaim’s headquarters in Dubai.

The theme hits a high note at just the right time. In March a film called Hans Zimmer & Friends: Diamond in the Desert was released in select cinemas and was largely filmed in Dubai. The movie features a mesmerising montage of classic film scores performed at Hans Zimmer Live concerts in dramatic locations across Dubai.

They range from the Coca-Cola Arena in the middle of the city to the helipad of the sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel and inside the cavernous Al Wasl dome, the world’s largest 360 degree projection screen. Fittingly, the scores include ‘A Time of Quiet Between the Storms’ from last year’s Dune: Part Two which Zimmer performs in the desert not far from where the film itself was shot in Abu Dhabi.

In just a few weeks he will visit the city when his Hans Zimmer Live concerts take place in Abu Dhabi for the first time at its Etihad Arena on May 23 and June 1. Just next door is a VOX cinema so Zimmer will feel right at home.