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7 Dogs

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7 Dogs
Promotional poster
Directed byAdil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
Written byMohamed El-Dabbah
Story byTurki Alalshikh
Starring
CinematographyRobrecht Heyvaert
Music byLorne Balfe
Production
company
Release date
  • 27 May 2026 (2026-05-27)
Running time
125 minutes[1]
CountrySaudi Arabia
Languages
  • Arabic
  • English
Budget$40 million[2]

7 Dogs (Arabic: الكلاب السبعة, romanized: al-Kilāb as-Sabʿa) is a 2026 Saudi Arabian Arabic-language action film directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah and written by Mohamed El-Dabbah from a story by Turki Alalshikh. The film stars Ahmed Ezz and Karim Abdel Aziz as an Interpol officer and a criminal figure who form an alliance against a transnational criminal network. The ensemble cast also includes Monica Bellucci, Nasser Al Qasabi, Sayed Ragab, Tara Emad, Sandy Bella, Giancarlo Esposito, Max Huang, Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt.[3][4]

The film was produced by Sela Studios with support from Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority and Riyadh Season, and was shot largely in Riyadh.[2][5] It had a reported budget of $40 million and was reported to be the most expensive Arabic-language film ever made.[2] The film premiered in Cairo on May 22, 2026 and was released in Middle East on 27 May.[4][6] During production, Sela Studios achieved two Guinness World Records for film stunt explosions.[7][8]

Plot

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Interpol officer Khalid Al-Azzazi captures Ghali Abu Dawood, a senior figure linked to the criminal organization known as 7 Dogs. When the syndicate begins trafficking a synthetic drug called Pink Lady, Khalid is forced to work with Ghali to dismantle the network. Their mission brings them into conflict with regional and international figures connected to the organization, including European distributor Julia Leone.[3][9]

Cast

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The cast includes:[10]

Production and release

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The film's story was conceived by Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority. The project moved forward after Alalshikh met directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah in Riyadh during the 2024 promotional tour for Bad Boys: Ride or Die.[3] Mohamed El-Dabbah wrote the screenplay.[3][4]

The film was sponsored by the General Entertainment Authority and Riyadh Season, and was produced by Sela Production Services by Black Bear, with Ivan Atkinson serving as producer.[11] Filming took place in and around Riyadh in spring 2025.[11] The production crew included cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, production designer Paul Kirby, costume designers Beatrice Giannini and Mark Bouman, hair and make-up artist Jacqueline Russon, and special-effects supervisor Duncan Capp.[11] The stunts were handled by the 87Eleven team, led by stunt coordinator Stephen Dunlevy.[11]

Boulevard City in Riyadh, one of the locations used for filming.

The film was shot largely in Riyadh, including at Alhisn Big Time Studios, King Abdullah Financial District and Boulevard City.[2][12][9] The production used Saudi crew members and created locations representing several countries within Riyadh.[5]

During filming in Riyadh on August 29, 2025, Sela Studios achieved two Guinness World Records for film stunt explosions: the largest film stunt explosion, measured at 170.7 tonnes of TNT equivalent, and the most high explosives detonated in a single film take, measured at 405.85 kilograms of TNT equivalent.[7][8]

A teaser trailer for the film was released in February 2026.[13] The film had a red-carpet premiere in Cairo on May 22, 2026 ahead of its release in Arab countries on 27 May.[4][6] The initial release plan covered more than 600 cinemas in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.[6]

Reception

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Box office

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During its opening weekend from May 28 to 31, 2026, 7 Dogs grossed more than $7 million across the Middle East and North Africa. Saudi Arabia accounted for more than 200,000 tickets sold, followed by Egypt with more than 720,000 and the United Arab Emirates with roughly 87,000. Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan and Lebanon contributed a further 91,000 ticket sales.[14]

In Egypt, the film earned EGP 131.4 million from 912,300 tickets sold during its first week. The figure was reported as a new Egyptian box-office record.[15]

Critical response

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Saeed Saeed of The National gave the film 3 out of 5 stars. He described it as an Arabic action film shaped by the style of Hollywood action blockbusters, and wrote that its main strength was its use of regional performers and production infrastructure rather than narrative originality.[12] Moataz Al-Shafei of Sayidaty reviewed the film positively, praising its visual spectacle, action staging, use of Riyadh studio sets, and the contrast between Karim Abdel Aziz's restrained performance and Ahmed Ezz's more physical role.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "7 Dogs". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d "How 7 Dogs Blew Up Two World Records and Put Saudi Cinema on the Map". GQ Middle East. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  3. ^ a b c d "Inside '7 Dogs,' the Biggest Arab Film Production". Asharq Al-Awsat. 23 May 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  4. ^ a b c d Francis, Fady (23 May 2026). "Saudi-backed '7 Dogs' gets star-studded Cairo premiere". Arab News. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  5. ^ a b Francis, Fady (23 May 2026). "Saudi-backed action epic '7 Dogs' brings Hollywood energy to Riyadh". Arab News. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  6. ^ a b c El-Sawi, Hanan (17 May 2026). خطة عرض عالمية لفيلم 7 Dogs تنطلق في 27 مايو المقبل. Akhbar El Yom (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Largest film stunt explosion". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Most high explosives detonated in a single film take". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  9. ^ a b Saeed, Saeed (30 May 2026). "Monica Bellucci on filming Arabic action blockbuster 7 Dogs: 'I felt I was in a big movie'". The National. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  10. ^ "Film details". 7 Dogs official website. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  11. ^ a b c d Goodfellow, Melanie (6 June 2025). "'Bad Boys' Duo Adil & Bilall's Saudi Action Thriller '7 Dogs' Unveils First Teaser As Monica Bellucci, Salman Khan & Max Huang Confirmed In Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  12. ^ a b Saeed, Saeed (21 May 2026). "7 Dogs review: Arabic action blockbuster goes big on explosions and ambition". The National. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  13. ^ ANI (11 February 2026). "Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt cameos in Saudi action film '7 Dogs' spring a surprise". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  14. ^ "Saudi Thriller '7 Dogs' Starring Monica Bellucci as Drug Lord Scores Strong Middle East Opening". Variety. 3 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  15. ^ "Action blockbuster film "7DOGS" achieves new Egyptian box office record". Egypt Independent. 4 June 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  16. ^ Al-Shafei, Moataz (6 June 2026). مراجعة فيلم "7DOGS - سفن دوجز": السينما العربية تُلامس سماء هوليوود [7DOGS - Seven Dogs film review: Arab cinema touches Hollywood's sky]. Sayidaty (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 June 2026.
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