New cinemas: what Morocco is funding in 2026

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.

The largest grants fund new venues and digital equipment. In Casablanca, Cinerji Aïn Sebaâ and Cinéma Empire each receive 4 million dirhams for a new cinema. In Tangier, Mégarama City Mall receives 3 million dirhams to digitise its eight-screen complex, and Cinéma Alcazar receives 575,000 dirhams for renovation and 650,000 dirhams for digitisation. In Rabat, Cinéma Renaissance receives 650,000 dirhams for digitisation.

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.

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. That same year, the CCM's support fund devoted 15.9 million dirhams to creating, modernising and digitising cinemas.

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.