Saudi cinema records 845 million riyals revenues

During the year 2024, the Saudi cinema industry witnessed remarkable growth with a clear increase in the number of theaters and the turnout of the masses, which reflected positively on the total box office revenue, which exceeded 845.6 million Saudi riyals. This achievement reflects the growth of the local cinematic market, to become one of the fastest growing recreational markets in the region.

The performance of the Saudi box office in 2024:

The number of cinemas operating in the Kingdom during the year 2024 reached a total of 64 house distributed over 10 main areas, containing 630 cinemas. The average ticket price during the year was 48.2 Saudi riyals. More than 17.5 million tickets were sold during the year 2024, which expresses the noticeable growth at the base of the cinema.

Top -selling ticket regions:

The Riyadh region topped all other regions by achieving revenues of 391.1 million Saudi riyals, with more than 7.4 million tickets. The Makkah Al -Mukarramah region ranked second with revenues of 224.5 million riyals and the sale of 4.8 million tickets. As for the eastern region, it achieved revenues of 128.1 million riyals, with about 2.9 million tickets.
While Medina, Asir, Al -Qassim, Tabuk, and Hail came with revenues ranging between 7.6 and 28.8 million Saudi riyals, with noticeable differences in the number of tickets sold.

Performance of Saudi films at the box office:

The year 2024 witnessed 18 Saudi films, which these films were able to sell about 1.4 million tickets, with a total revenue of 56.8 million Saudi riyals. This positive performance reflects the continuous improvement in the attractiveness of local productions and increased fans’ support for national films.

The most revenue films in Saudi Arabia for 2024:

“Bad Boys: Ride or Die” ranked first as the highest films, achieving revenue by 58.5% of the total cinematic market in Saudi Arabia. The movie “Walad Rizk 3” ranked second with 25.1%, while the Saudi film “Youth of Al -Boub” ranked third with 7.8%.
Other films such as “Pushpa 2” from India and “Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram” also emerged from Japan, despite its small share of the market.

The most popular types of films:

The existing action films topped 39.5% of the total revenue, reflecting the preference of the Saudi fans of this type of entertainment. Followed by comedy films by 22.5%, then animated films by 13.7%. While horror, drama and suspense films recorded relatively lower, but she kept her attendance at the box office.

Film classification by age group:

The data showed that the films classified for the age group +18 years (R18) were the most contributed to revenue, as they acquired 37% of the total revenue. Then came the films classified +15 years old (R15) by 26%.
As for the groups directed to children and families, such as PG and PG12, they captured lower proportions, but have been important in attracting families.

The monthly performance of the Saudi box office:

June and July recorded the highest revenues during the year 2024, when June revenues amounted to about 119.2 million Saudi riyals with the sale of 2.9 million tickets, while July achieved revenues exceeding 141.7 million riyals with the sale of about 2.6 million tickets.
As for Ramadan, the revenues decreased significantly, as April revenues recorded only 41.2 million riyals with the sale of 1.2 million tickets.

Comparison of performance over the years 2018 to 2024:

The Saudi cinema sector has witnessed an amazing development since 2018. In that year, revenues did not exceed 38.6 million Saudi riyals, with only 633 thousand tickets.
In 2019, revenues increased to 300.3 million riyals, with 6.8 million tickets.
Growth continues during the following years despite the challenges of the Corona’s pandemic, as revenues amounted to 465 million riyals in 2020, then jumped to 896.2 million riyals in 2021.
In 2022, revenues reached 922.6 million riyals with 14.8 million tickets, and in 2023 new records achieved 937.2 million riyals.
Despite the revenue slightly decreased in 2024 to 845.6 million riyals, the number of tickets sold soon remained at 17.5 million tickets, which reflects the stability of the market.

Cinemas in Saudi Arabia:

Cinemas played a decisive role in supporting the market expansion by increasing the number of halls and providing advanced display technologies and various entertainment options for the public. These developments contributed to raising the quality of the cinematic experience and stimulating the demand for cinemas in various cities of the Kingdom.

The future of Saudi cinema industry:

According to the report of the “Saudi box office performance for the year 2024”, which monitors the developments of the cinema sector in the Kingdom, future indicators indicate the continued growth of the film industry in Saudi Arabia, with the expected expansion in local productions and the increase in investments in the entertainment sector. The Kingdom is expected to enhance its position as one of the most important cinema markets in the Middle East, driven by the 2030 vision that puts culture and arts within its strategic priorities