New cinemas: what Morocco is funding in 2026
Two new venues in Casablanca, renovation and digitisation in Tangier and Rabat: 12.875 million dirhams in grants to revive the country’s cinemas.
By OFFSTAGE NEWS 2 min read
After decades of closures, Morocco is funding new cinemas again. In 2026, the commission that supports the digitisation, modernisation and creation of cinemas, which sits at the Centre cinématographique marocain (CCM) in Rabat, granted 12.875 million dirhams at the first session of the year.
Where the money goes
The largest grants fund new venues and digital equipment:
- Cinerji Aïn Sebaâ, Casablanca: 4 million dirhams for a new cinema.
- Cinéma Empire, Casablanca: 4 million dirhams for a new cinema.
- Mégarama City Mall, Tangier: 3 million dirhams to digitise its eight-screen complex.
- Cinéma Alcazar, Tangier: 575,000 dirhams for renovation and 650,000 dirhams for digitisation.
- Cinéma Renaissance, Rabat: 650,000 dirhams for digitisation.
Five new screens in Aïn Sebaâ
The Cinerji project is planned for the Aïn Sebaâ mall in Casablanca. It would have five screens with Dolby Atmos sound and laser projection. According to Cinerji's head, Hakim Chagraoui, work should begin once the fit-out authorisation is granted and last nine to twelve months. No opening date has been set.
This would be the group's second site, after the cinema it opened at La Promenade in Bouskoura in November 2025.
A market slowly rebuilding
These projects come after a long decline. Morocco counted about 245 cinemas in the late 1980s, before videotapes, piracy and ageing buildings emptied many of them. In 2025, the country had 87 active screens, which recorded 2.19 million admissions and 129.78 million dirhams at the box office.
The CCM's support fund devoted 15.9 million dirhams in 2025 to creating, modernising and digitising cinemas.
Old and new side by side
The 2026 grants show two movements at once. New multiplexes bring screens to shopping centres, while historic venues such as the Alcazar in Tangier and the Renaissance in Rabat are being updated to remain in use.
The real test will come when these screens open: whether audiences return in numbers large enough to keep them running.
