Saudi Arabia’s homegrown film industry has reached a notable marker in 2026, with locally made productions earning more than SR100 million at the country’s box office. It is the second consecutive year that domestic titles have crossed that level, a sign of how firmly cinema has taken hold since the kingdom reopened theaters.
By the middle of September, Saudi films accounted for roughly 12.7 percent of total box-office revenue for the year. Three domestic releases were drawing audiences at the time, including ‘7 Dogs,’ ‘Aks Sir’ and ‘Azzam: The Butterfly Effect.’ Across the week of September 13 to 19, cinemas took in about SR16 million from 59 films, with some 329,200 tickets sold.
The 2026 figures build on a strong prior year. In 2025, 11 Saudi productions generated SR122.6 million and sold about 2.8 million tickets. Three of them, ‘Al-Zarfa,’ ‘Shabab Al-Bomb 2’ and ‘Hobal,’ ranked among the year’s ten highest-grossing releases. Domestic films made up close to 13 percent of total revenue even though they represented just 3 percent of the 538 films shown that year.
That pattern points to a loyal following for local titles. While the number of Saudi releases remains small next to the volume of imported films, their share of ticket sales has consistently run ahead of their share of screenings, suggesting audiences are turning out for stories set in familiar surroundings and told in the local dialect.
Government backing has helped drive the momentum. The Film Sector Financing Program, introduced in 2023, carries a budget of SR879 million to support production, distribution and cinema development. Officials see a stronger domestic industry as part of a wider effort to expand entertainment and cultural output, build local talent and create jobs in a sector that barely existed a decade ago. If the current pace holds, homegrown productions look set to remain a growing share of what Saudi audiences choose to watch.
