Saudi box office growth ‘extraordinary,’ could mirror England, Sony executive says
JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s cinema box office is already comparable in size to England’s with the right marketing, said Tony Vinciquerra, chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Speaking during a panel at the Cultural Investment Conference in Riyadh, Vinciquerra praised the Kingdom’s rapid progress in building a cinema market from scratch in just a few years. He described the growth as “crazy” and unprecedented in speed compared with other global markets.
The Saudi Film Commission reported that 17.5 million cinema tickets were sold in 2024, generating SR845.6 million ($225 million) in box office revenues.
Meanwhile, the General Authority for Statistics said 11 percent of Saudis over 15 visited cinemas last year, and the General Entertainment Authority logged nearly 77 million attendees at events in 2024 — underscoring the size of the broader entertainment ecosystem.
