DUBAI: The actor who plays Aladdin in Disney’s latest live-action movie, Mena Massoud, said he is excited for the public to watch the movie in a video posted on his Facebook page.
Massoud, addressing viewers in Arabic, said he is proud of being part of the Disney franchise and hopes they love it as much as he did.
The actor concluded the video by repeatedly saying “long live Egypt.”
He was born in Egypt and then moved to Canada with his parents.
Massoud seems to be proud of his Egyptian roots.
He posted a video of himself asking a band to play a song by Abdel Halim Hafiz, an Egyptian actor and musician.
“Aladdin” apparently still has the old magic, as the new Disney film took in an estimated $86.1 million in the Friday-to-Sunday period in North America to lead all box-office offerings, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported.
The film is expected to earn $105 million when Monday’s ticket sales are included, well beyond earlier estimates of around $80 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film stars Will Smith as the genie, Egyptian-born Canadian actor Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine.
