From IMAX and 4DX in Casablanca to an intimate premium cinema in Rabat, Pathé is bringing new ways to watch a film in Morocco — and more locations are planned.
Going to the movies in Morocco is becoming about more than simply choosing a film and finding a seat.
Pathé has introduced a model built around different ways of watching: giant screens, moving seats, premium recliners, advanced sound and smaller luxury auditoriums.
After making its Moroccan debut in Casablanca in 2023, the French cinema group opened a second location in Rabat in December 2025. Further expansion is also planned through a partnership with Marjane Group.
The two existing venues are very different, but they share the same idea: the cinema itself should be part of the night out.
Casablanca Went Big
Pathé Californie opened at Casablanca’s Californie Mall in December 2023 as the group’s first cinema in Morocco.
The multiplex has eight auditoriums, all using laser projection, with around 1,200 seats in total. Its biggest attractions include an IMAX screen measuring about 20 metres wide, a 4DX auditorium and a VIP room with fully reclining seats and a private lounge.
That gives visitors several ways to see a major release without leaving the same complex.
IMAX focuses on scale and sound. The 4DX auditorium adds moving seats and effects such as wind, water and vibration timed to the action on screen. The VIP option is built around space, comfort and a more private setting.
Instead of offering essentially the same experience in every auditorium, the Casablanca venue lets moviegoers choose how immersive — or luxurious — they want the evening to be.
Rabat Went Smaller — And More Intimate
Pathé Dar Essalam takes a very different approach.
Opened in Rabat in December 2025, the cinema has just four auditoriums and 149 seats.
The largest room accommodates 80 people, while three smaller VIP theatres have only 23 seats each.
All four are equipped with Samsung Onyx 4K LED screens and Dolby Atmos sound.
Unlike a conventional cinema screen illuminated by a projector, Samsung’s Onyx technology produces the image directly through an LED display. For audiences, that means a different approach to brightness, contrast and picture quality.
The atmosphere is deliberately more intimate than in Casablanca.
Pathé Californie is built around scale and choice. Dar Essalam focuses more heavily on comfort, technology and smaller rooms.
The contrast also shows that Pathé is not simply copying the same multiplex from one Moroccan city to another.
A Movie Can Now Be The Centre Of A Night Out
Where these cinemas are located matters too.
Both sit within destinations that combine shopping, restaurants and leisure, making it easier to build an evening around the screening itself.
Dinner can come first. A film follows. Coffee or dessert can come afterwards.
That matters at a time when audiences have more reasons than ever to stay home.
Streaming services have made films and series instantly accessible from the sofa, so cinemas increasingly have to offer something that a television cannot.
A huge screen is part of that. But so are sound, comfort, technology and the social side of going out.
In that sense, Pathé is not only selling access to a movie. It is trying to make the trip to the theatre worthwhile.
More Choice Also Means More Prices
Those different experiences come with different price points.
At Pathé Dar Essalam, a standard full-price ticket was introduced at MAD 95, while student and child tickets were priced lower.
At the other end of the range, some VIP screenings can cost up to MAD 250 depending on the package and services included.
For moviegoers, that means more choice — and a much wider range of prices.
Someone looking for a straightforward screening can choose a regular auditorium. Others can pay more for additional comfort, technology or a more exclusive setting.
Casablanca follows the same broad principle, with conventional screens alongside IMAX, 4DX and VIP options.
The film may be the same. The way it is watched can be very different.
Moroccan Films Have A Place Too
The programming is not limited to Hollywood releases.
When its Casablanca cinema opened, Pathé said the schedule would include Moroccan and Arab productions alongside international blockbusters, animation, auteur films and cultural events.
That local element is important.
Morocco has its own active film industry and cinema-going culture, and major domestic releases can attract significant audiences.
Modern multiplexes are also increasingly used for more than conventional feature films.
Concert screenings, premieres, special events and other limited releases can give audiences additional reasons to return throughout the year.
That turns the cinema into a broader entertainment venue rather than somewhere visited only when a major new film arrives.
Casablanca And Rabat Are Not The End Of The Story
Pathé’s ambitions extend beyond its two existing locations.
In April 2025, Marjane Group and Pathé announced a strategic partnership to develop several cinema complexes across Morocco, subject to regulatory approvals.
The plan is to combine modern theatres with immersive technology, varied programming and digital services.
Pathé chairman Jérôme Seydoux said at the time that the partnership was intended to develop cinemas in Morocco’s main cities.
More recently, Pathé Maroc managing director Frédéric Godfroid said the group was preparing another multiplex in Rabat’s Hay Riad district as well as a project in Marrakech.
If those projects move ahead, the current venues may eventually look like the first pieces of a much larger Moroccan network.
The question will be whether future locations follow Casablanca’s large multiplex model, Rabat’s smaller premium approach or introduce another format entirely.
The Cinema Itself Is Becoming Part Of The Show
For moviegoers, the biggest change is simple.
Choosing a film is no longer the only decision.
There can now be a choice between a conventional seat and a recliner, a standard auditorium and IMAX, a traditional projection system and an LED screen, or a regular ticket and a premium night out.
None of that makes the film itself less important.
But in an age when almost unlimited entertainment is available at home, cinemas need to give people a reason to leave the sofa.
Pathé’s approach in Morocco is increasingly clear: make the screen bigger, the sound stronger, the seat better and the evening itself part of the entertainment.
With Casablanca established, Rabat now open and further projects planned, Morocco’s cinema-going experience could become considerably more varied in the years ahead.