Ramadan 2018: Can you eat inside a Dubai cinema hall?

If you have been in the UAE during Ramadan, you probably know the rules to be followed during the holy month. Eating food or drinking water is prohibited in public as a matter of respect for those fasting.
Also read: Hefty fine, jail for eating outside during Ramadan

There are allotted areas in Dubai shopping malls to eat food during the fasting hours and restaurants encourage takeaways. Post the ending of the fast in the evenings during Iftar, you are free to eat in public areas.

But if this is your first Ramadan in Dubai, you might be curious to know whether eating inside cinema halls is allowed.

A phone call with Reel Cinemas revealed that contrary to last year, food will be sold at the counters for shows before Iftar across their Dubai outlets. Moviegoers are advised to eat their food only in the cinema halls and not in the premises of the theatre. 
There is also a change in their movie timings during the whole month. The first show at Reel will begin at 2 pm on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. There will be an early show of 11am on Fridays and Saturday and 12pm on Thursday. 
As the footfalls during the Ramadan month reduces, cinema halls tend to reduce the number of screenings each day. 
Khaleej Times also spoke to Vox Cinemas, who revealed that food purchased at their counters will be wrapped in plastic bags and can be opened and consumed only inside the movie halls. Consuming food anywhere on the premises of Vox Cinemas, apart from inside the movie hall, is strictly prohibited.
Novo Cinemas has a different set of rules for buying and consuming food during Ramadan across their venues. The first screening of the day will begin only at 12pm on weekends and 11am on weekdays across the cinemas. There will be no restrictions to food sold at the Dubai outlets in Megaplex (Ibn Battuta Mall), Dubai Festival City and Dragon Mart. 
Outside Dubai, food will be sold only after Iftar in Abu Dhabi and other emirates.    
Avengers: Infinity War, released a fortnight ago is still going strong in the UAE. Deadpool 2 releases on May 17 in the UAE. Steven Spielberg's Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Ocean's will release during Ramadan. 
Among the Bollywood films, Raazi released last week continues to sell house-full in UAE. Rajnikanth's much-awaited Kaala, Mamootty's Uncle, Aravind Swami's Bhaskar Oru Rascal are some of the big films to release in regional Indian languages.  
- anita@khaleejtimes.com