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Saudi Arabia’s local film industry has crossed 100 million riyals in domestic box office revenue this year, reaching the milestone for the second consecutive year as audiences continue to embrace locally produced films.
According to the Saudi Film Commission, Saudi films accounted for about 12.7 per cent of the country’s total box office revenue through mid-September, highlighting growing demand for local stories and productions.
The commission’s latest weekly figures showed that Saudi cinemas generated 16 million riyals in revenue from September 13 to 19, with more than 329,200 tickets sold for 59 films.
Three Saudi productions are currently showing in cinemas across the country: the action film 7 Dogs, the action comedy Axe Sir, and the animated feature Azzam: The Butterfly Effect.
The performance follows a strong 2025 for Saudi cinema. According to the Film Commission’s 2025 box office report, 11 Saudi films sold 2.8 million tickets and generated 122.6 million riyals in revenue last year.
Although Saudi films accounted for only about 3 per cent of the 538 films screened in the country in 2025, they generated nearly 13 per cent of total box office revenue.
Three Saudi productions — Al-Jarfa, Shabab Al-Bomb 2 and Hobal — also ranked among the country’s 10 highest-grossing films that year.
The growth of the Saudi film industry is part of a broader transformation in the country’s cultural and entertainment sectors following the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 in 2016.
The vision identified culture and entertainment as important areas for social and economic development. That year, Saudi Arabia established the General Entertainment Authority to regulate and develop the entertainment sector.
Commercial cinemas returned to Saudi Arabia in April 2018 after a decades-long closure. The government subsequently introduced measures to support local filmmakers, develop the industry and strengthen its infrastructure.
As part of those efforts, the Film Commission was established in February 2020 as one of 11 specialised cultural commissions.
Government support expanded further with the establishment of the Cultural Development Fund in 2021.
In 2023, the fund launched the Film Sector Financing Programme with a budget of 879 million riyals to support film production and distribution, develop cinema infrastructure and attract domestic and international investment.
The continued growth of local films at the box office indicates an expanding market for Saudi productions as the country develops its film industry under Vision 2030.
