The Saudi box office in 2025: growth in revenue and a decline in the number of local films

Cinema revenue in Saudi Arabia in 2025 reached about SAR 920.8 million, compared with SAR 845.6 million in 2024, a rise of 8.9% according to the State of Culture report issued by the Ministry of Culture. The number of tickets rose from 17.5 million to 18.8 million.

But the picture is calmer than it looks: 2025 revenue came in slightly below 2023, which recorded SAR 922.6 million, after a decline in 2024. The average ticket price also fell to about SAR 49, from SAR 52 in 2023.

The figures show that foreign films still take the largest share of the market. As for Saudi films, eleven of them took about SAR 122.6 million and sold 2.8 million tickets, according to what Al Eqtisadiah newspaper published about the Film Commission's report.

In the first half of the year, “Shabab El Bomb 2” led Saudi films with SAR 27.2 million, followed by “Hobal” with SAR 24.5 million and then “Is'af” with SAR 18.5 million, according to Okaz newspaper.

On the production side, 54 Saudi films premiered in 2025, 14 of them features, compared with 83 films in 2024. Meanwhile, the number of licensed production companies rose from 65 to 114, and the number of cinemas fell from 64 to 62.