Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi

Culture
Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi
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Some places are known for their history, while others are known for their innovation. In Abu Dhabi, however, both exist side by side. The capital of The United Arab Emirates has, along with much of the Middle East, opened itself up to the world in recent years, with its turquoise waters, alluring cultural spaces and ultra-modern skyscrapers drawing visitors from across the globe – and the movie industry is no exception. While the films on this cinematic tour were all shot in the 21st century, the spectacular scenes we’ve selected highlight Abu Dhabi’s presence as a living, breathing movie set. From dunes to palaces to glass towers, in this city, you’re never far from a site that has been immortalised on the big screen.

By Victoria Luxford

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Al Dhafra (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2015) – Morocco was the choice du jour in the 1970s when George Lucas filmed the first Star Wars movie. Decades later, it was JJ Abrams who picked Abu Dhabi as a natural successor. The desert region of Al Dhafra was used for a number of different sequences in this 2015 film, most notably the market where Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) first meet. While it’s difficult to point to an exact location, given the variety of temporary sets used, the whole area should make you feel like you’re ‘back’ on Rey’s home planet of Jakku.

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Etihad Towers (Furious 7, 2015) – Like many of the entries in this tour, the locations would be grateful if you didn’t try to replicate the stunt from this action classic!! The Etihad Towers are one of the most iconic sights in the area, and Furious 7 fans will instantly recognise the towers from when Dom and Brian (Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker) drove between the towers in a very expensive sports car in order to retrieve the God’s Eye hacking device. Star Diesel offered glowing reviews for his temporary home, telling The National: “There’s a pride in generosity… that’s mind-blowing. It’s something unique to that culture that I’ve never seen anywhere else.”

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Emirates Palace (Race 3, 2018) – Emirates Palace may be the location most familiar to cinema audiences, given the amount of times it has been on camera. American cinema fans may recognise it as the backdrop of an iconic slow motion shot in Furious 7, but Bollywood fanatics will know it as one of the Abu Dhabi landmarks used for Race 3. A soft reboot of Anil Kapoor’s Race franchise, the luxury hotel was used as the mansion for Kapoor’s character, wealthy arms dealer Shamsher Singh. With the majority of suites furnished in gold and marble, guests at the real-life hotel won’t need to wonder why this place was chosen to signify luxury on screen!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel (Bang Bang, 2014) – Known as the Leaning Tower of Abu Dhabi, the structure that stands at the heart of the region’s Capital Centre development is one of the largest in the area, but it served as a very different location for 2014 Bollywood hit Bang Bang. A remake of Tom Cruise action-comedy Knight and Day, the hotel housed within doubled for London’s MI6 headquarters, with the exterior used for stunts. Outside of its movie work, the hotel offers great views of the surrounding area, as well as an in-house art gallery and access to the many other facilities in the world’s largest leaning tower.

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (Baby, 2015) – Akshay Kumar battled potential terrorists in Istanbul for this thrilling crime drama, but the streets of Turkey were actually Abu Dhabi! Of the locations used, the most dramatic and recognisable is Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, which was the setting for the opening sequence. Open to worshipers and respectful visitors, it is the biggest mosque in the United Arab Emirates and can house over 41,000 people when in its day-to-day use as a place of worship. One of the more beautiful sights in the region, visiting the mosque should be more serene than the exploits of Kumar and his intrepid intelligence officers!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Shaikh Zayed Bridge (6 Underground, 2019) – This marvel of modern architecture had only been open for nine years when it appeared as part of the Michael Bay-Ryan Reynolds action blockbuster, produced by global movie giant Netflix. Abu Dhabi combined with several other destinations to play the fictional country of Turgistan, but there’s no mistaking the bridge’s unique wave design, intended to mimic a sand dune, thus gracefully blending into its surroundings. Currently one of the most popular film stars in the world, Reynolds knew where to come when he wanted to tell a dramatic, action-packed story!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Abu Dhabi North East Airport (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, 2018) – It’s in the DNA of the Mission: Impossible series to perform high-octane stunts, and Tom Cruise is well acquainted with the Middle East. After climbing Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, he came to Abu Dhabi NorthEast Airport to perform a daring HALO (high altitude, low opening) jump in the skies over the airport. Executed with the help of the UAE air force and featuring a fall over over 25,000 feet (7,620 metres), Abu Dhabi stood in for France, which was added in post-production. It’s unlikely you’ll be allowed to replicate this entrance, although as your aeroplane lands you may want to look out the window and think of the actor, who had a much bumpier arrival!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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The Louvre Abu Dhabi (The Misfits, 2021) – One of the most ambitious cross-cultural projects in the world, Abu Dhabi agreed with France to bring the Louvre name to this art gallery, which was inaugurated in 2017. Despite only being open a short time, it already has a few movie credits to its name, including this heist thriller starring former 007 Pierce Brosnan. His character, Richard, can be seen passing through the gallery’s eye-catching exit, with a design that will be instantly familiar when you make your own master plan to see some priceless art. With the exact clip visible in the trailer, you should be able to match their steps exactly!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Empty Quarter (Dune, 2021) – So, you’re filming a movie set entirely on a desert planet. Where do you go? For Denis Villeneuve and the crew of 2021’s Oscar-winning Dune, it was The Empty Quarter (Rub’ al Khali). The world’s biggest sand desert seemed to have all the qualifications to ‘play’ Arrakis, the planet at the centre of the Shakespearean fight for power in this sci-fi smash that starred Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet. Dune-related sightseeing tours are offered, although Empty Quarter was also used for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and was a key setting for the film Hidalgo.

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Empty Quarter (Sonic the Hedgehog, 2020) – If you’re looking for something a bit faster, how about a big family hit from recent years? Sonic the Hedgehog was a blockbuster when it came to cinemas in 2020, meaning it was game over for the myth that a popular video game couldn’t become a successful movie franchise. Like Dune, it also featured the Empty Quarter for some desert running scenes, although given the speed and CGI nature of the star, it might be harder to recreate!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Ferrari World (Dishoom, 2016) – Ferrari World, as the name implies, is an indoor theme park in Abu Dhabi based around the motoring manufacturer. The park got a chance to showcase its facilities for Bollywood action spectacular Dishoom, the hit buddy cop film loosely based on the ‘90s Bruce Willis movie The Last Boy Scout. John Abraham and Varun Dhawan made headlines by dangling from a stunt helicopter themselves, but we suggest you enjoy the rides safely during your visit!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Al Ain (Bharat, 2019) – Famous for its exotic vistas, historic museum and successful football team, Al Ain also provided some of the backdrop for Bharat, the historical epic that once again saw Bollywood megastar Salman Khan filming in Abu Dhabi, having previously worked on Race 3. The area’s dramatic landscape was the perfect place to tell this story of India’s past and present, mixing both pre-existing locations with dramatic sets built in Kizad backlog, the biggest studio of its type in the Middle East. While many of the films on our tour have an action theme, this picture proves Abu Dhabi is just as well-equipped to facilitate a touching drama.

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (War Machine, 2017) – The first times Netflix came to Abu Dhabi to film, they brought one of the most famous stars in the world. Brad Pitt took the lead in War Machine, the political satire from the makers of The Big Short that used a lot of the area for production, including the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, seen at the beginning of the clip above. Normally a venue for industry conferences and the Abu Dhabi International Boat Show, those making a business trip to the building may find themselves walking in the steps of A-listers!

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi.
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Liwa Desert (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, 2023) – If you can get to Abu Dhabi before July 2023, there’s a chance you could step onto the location of a movie that isn’t even in cinemas yet! One of the biggest films of next year is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. While we obviously don’t know the exact plot of the movie, the opening shot of the trailer sees Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt riding into Liwa desert, while Abu Dhabi International Airport’s Midfield Terminal is also seen in the clip. It’s the second time Abu Dhabi has featured in a Mission: Impossible movie, continuing a long-running association between the franchise and the United Arab Emirates.

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Movie Capitals: On Location In… Abu Dhabi

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