Saudi Arabia’s ambitions to become a major global film hub are facing growing scrutiny in 2026 after a string of expensive productions underperformed, raising questions about the kingdom’s long-term entertainment strategy and its relationship with Hollywood.
The country lifted its 35-year cinema ban in 2018 as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s wider plan to diversify the economy beyond oil and establish Saudi Arabia as a regional entertainment powerhouse.
Since then, the kingdom has invested heavily in studios, infrastructure and international partnerships aimed at attracting global productions and developing a domestic film industry.
However, Saudi-backed historical epic ‘Desert Warrior’, starring Anthony Mackie, has become a major setback for those ambitions. The film reportedly earned only $700,000 across the US and Arab markets in the two weeks following its April release, despite carrying a reported budget of $150 million.
The disappointing performance comes amid wider regional instability linked to the ongoing conflict involving Iran, adding further uncertainty to Saudi Arabia’s efforts to position itself as a filmmaking destination.
While the kingdom has expanded cinema attendance and production facilities since the release of Black Panther reopened Saudi cinemas in 2018, its international cinematic breakthrough remains elusive.
Saudi Arabia also arrived at this year’s Cannes Film Festival without any films in the official selection, despite previously securing attention in 2024 with Tawfik Alzaidi’s ‘Norah’, a drama centred on artistic expression during the 1990s.
At the same time, Saudi investment in Hollywood continues to grow. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund is among the financial backers supporting the proposed merger involving Paramount Global, Skydance Media and Warner Bros. Discovery. Saudi film producer Rasha AlEmam said the deal could help position the kingdom as “a stakeholder in content creation and distribution”.
AlEmam, chief executive of Yellow Camel Studios, said the partnership could make American studios “less reluctant” to film in Saudi Arabia, adding that it may “help bridge the gap”.
Industry analysts believe Saudi Arabia’s film sector is still developing. Arab Cinema Center head Alaa Karkouti said the country was beginning to realise “it’s not about spending crazy money”.
Questions have also emerged over the sustainability of Saudi Arabia’s large-scale productions. Upcoming action thriller ‘7 Dogs’, directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, reportedly saw its budget increase significantly during filming near Riyadh. The project recently secured a Guinness World Record for the “largest film stunt explosion in the history of cinema”.
An unnamed Arab industry expert said the kingdom’s ambitions were clear but described the current model as “high risk” and not necessarily aligned with how sustainable film industries are built.
Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy said Saudi Arabia’s industry needed more time to mature. “The more money you throw at a talent pool that is not seasoned, the more likely you are to get films that could have been great, but are not,” he said.
Despite the challenges, smaller Saudi productions have shown stronger results both locally and internationally. Films such as ‘Mandoob’ and ‘Alzarfa: Escape from Hanhounia Hell’ have attracted audiences by focusing on contemporary Saudi life and local storytelling.
‘Mandoob’, a satirical thriller about a man drawn into Riyadh’s underground alcohol trade, outperformed several Hollywood releases in Saudi cinemas and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Saudi producer Alaa Faden said these locally rooted films represented the future of the country’s industry. “These are movies that push boundaries made by local people who actually love representing the culture and a new voice,” he said.
Faden added that Saudi Arabia’s defining cinematic voice had not yet fully emerged internationally, but insisted it would eventually arrive. “We just need a little time to find the right format so that it can reach everybody,” he said.
