Krugers hoped that the film would be screened at the Paris Colonial Exposition, and although it was well-received upon being premiered to Dutch audiences on 9 November 1928, subsequent showings were rare.

It has been analyzed within the context of colonial networks and control over the hajj process, as well as a primary document providing insight into the experiences of contemporary pilgrims.

They travel from Tanjung Priok to the Hejaz aboard the SS Madioen, stopping in Palembang to take on more passengers and Sabang for medical examinations.

It was his first production under the banner of Krugers Filmbedrijf, which he had established after handling cinematography on Loetoeng Kasaroeng (1926) and directing Eulis Atjih (1927) for the Java Film Company.

[1] As the subject matter, he chose the hajj pilgrimage; the scholar Rukayyah Reichling argues that Krugers must have recognized the commercial viability of such a project, as Westerners were curious about Mecca while few Muslims of the Dutch East Indies were able to afford the journey.

[7] Using a Bell and Howell Eyemo 35 mm camera,[7] Krugers made the pilgrimage to Mecca via Jeddah aboard the Royal Rotterdam Lloyd's SS Madioen.

The local authorities were reportedly advised of the filming project, and the Dutch consul van der Meulen was extensively involved.

[4] At the same time, Krugers maintained his distance from some of the holy sites; the film scholar Sandeep Ray notes, for instance, that the Kaaba is only shown from a high vantage point, rather than a perspective amidst the crowd.

[14] The Great Mecca Feast was shown in the Dutch East Indies as early as 17 August 1928, when it was screened at Decca Park in Batavia.

[19] The film was given an introduction by Dutch Orientalist Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje,[20] the leader of the Society,[19] who highlighted the importance of the hajj pilgrimage in Islam.

[22] The Great Mecca Feast has been identified as the first documentary film about the hajj pilgrimage;[25][26] previously, photographs had been taken by the Egyptian engineer Mohammad Sadiq Bay and by Snouck Hurgronje.

[34] She notes several inaccuracies in the film's depiction of hajj rituals, particularly the absence of pilgrims standing in prayer on the Day of Arafah, the omission of communal Eid worship, as well as the paucity of festive activities.

[14] Ray argues that the film provides valuable insights into the experiences of hajj pilgrims, including meeting Muslims from around the world.

[35] Krugers' approach, he writes, "lends the film an intimate texture at times", allowing viewers insight into the pilgrimage.