Saudi films have had a strong year at the local box office, increasing their share of the film box office by more than 14% so far, according to new figures from box office analyst ComScore.
3 Saudi traits – Heist planning Alzalfa: Escape from Hahonia Hellcomedy sequel Shabab The Bomb 2 and drama Hobbal – Top 10 on the chart for all releases of the year ending November 30th.
Alzalfa came in third with a profit of $8.2 million (SAR 30.6 million), behind Hollywood blockbusters. F1: The Movie For $10.4 million (R39.1 million), lilo & stitch $9.8 million (R36.8 million). Shabab El Bom 2 4th place with $7.4 million (R27.7 million). Hobbalhad its world premiere in the Red Sea last year and took fifth place with $6.6 million (R24.6 million).
Other well-performing Saudi titles include: Essaf ($5 million/R18.9 million) and get on ($2.9 million/R10.9 million). Saudi Arabian films have grossed a total of $32.7 million (R122.6 million) so far in 2025, representing 14.2% of box office revenue.
This compares favorably with more mature markets outside of Hollywood, but is especially impressive given that the Saudi industry is only a few years old.
Saudi’s previous strong performances include the 2022 hit ‘Sattar’ and the 2023 thriller mandobu However, these were isolated cases.
“Audiences are receptive to stories that speak directly to their experiences, and producers and exhibitors are investing more. The result is a pipeline of domestic films that can perform reliably in theaters,” said Nathan Gilligan, senior operations manager at box office specialist Comscore.
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