Saudi Arabia’s film sector continues to gain momentum, with the Kingdom’s box office recording SAR 845.6 million in revenue in 2024, according to the latest Saudi Box Office Report 2024 issued by the Saudi Film Commission.
While this marks a decline from SAR 922.6 million in 2023 (which was contributed to by a drop in ticket prices between 2024 and 2023), the number of tickets sold remained stable at 17.5 million compared to 17.7 million the previous year, indicating continued strong audience engagement.
Across the country, moviegoers attended 504 films screened across 64 cinemas and 630 screens in 10 regions. Riyadh led the country in cinema revenue, with SAR 391.1 million and over 7.4 million tickets sold. Mecca and the Eastern Province followed, with SAR 224.5 million and SAR 128.1 million in box office revenue respectively. Combined, these three regions accounted for more than 85 percent of national revenue. The average ticket price nationwide stood at SAR 48.2, with prices peaking on Saturdays at SAR 52.2 and dipping mid-week on Sundays to SAR 41.1.
Saudi Films See Increased Impact but Hollywood and Egypt Still Reign
While international productions dominate the market, Saudi films have carved out a noticeable space. Seventeen Saudi films were released in cinemas in 2024, collectively generating SAR 76.6 million in revenue and drawing in 1.8 million ticket sales. That marks a 19 percent increase in revenue compared to the previous year.
Among the standout performers was Shabab El Bomb, which generated SAR 26.6 million and sold over 632,000 tickets. It was closely followed by Night Courier, which brought in SAR 28.7 million and had 620,543 admissions. These figures place both titles among the top ten films of the year across all categories.
Nonetheless, global films still dominate the market. The top-performing film, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, outpaced the next highest title by more than SAR 40 million, underscoring Hollywood’s continued stronghold in Saudi cinemas. Hollywood productions maintained a 58.5 percent market share, followed by Egyptian films at 25.1 percent and by Saudi films which accounted for 7.8 percent of the market. Indian, Japanese, French, Russian, and British films each held smaller shares.
Overall, the top 10 films at the Saudi Box Office in 2024 were the following:
- Bad Boys: Ride or Die (USA) – SAR 88.2 million
- Welad Rizk (Egypt) – SAR 39.4 million
- Gawza Toxic (Egypt) – SAR 29.9 million
- Inside Out 2 (USA) – SAR 29.2 million
- Night Courier (Saudi Arabia) – SAR 28.7 million
- Shabab El Bomb (Saudi Arabia) – SAR 26.6 million
- Deadpool & Wolverine (USA) – SAR 26.4 million
- The Beekeeper (USA) – SAR 23.2 million
- El Lahazat El Lazeeza (Egypt) – SAR 22.7 million
- Ex Meraty (Egypt) – SAR 20.5 million
Genres and Ratings: What Saudis Watched
Action was the most popular genre, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all revenue, followed by comedy at 22.5 percent and animation at 13.8 percent. Notable hits included Gawaza Toxic in comedy and Inside Out 2 in animation.
In terms of film ratings, R18-rated content made up the largest share of revenue, pulling in SAR 315.7 million from over 6.1 million tickets sold. This represents nearly 40 percent of all tickets purchased in 2024, signaling a growing appetite for mature themes among Saudi audiences.
Cinemas on the Rise
Since cinemas reopened in 2018, the market has seen continuous expansion. In just six years, Saudi Arabia has grown from zero commercial theaters to a national network of 64 cinemas with 630 screens. The number of films screened in theaters has also steadily risen, from 279 in 2020 to over 500 in 2024.
With the Kingdom’s ongoing Vision 2030 efforts to support local filmmaking, the Saudi Film Commission’s annual box office report highlights a sector increasingly confident in its identity and commercial potential. The numbers suggest a robust appetite for both homegrown stories and international blockbusters, with clear indicators that local productions are gaining steady traction among audiences.
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