Desert Warrior Flops, Saudi Arabia's Hollywood Dream

0:00It's May 2nd. Entertainment and celebrity news today starts now, AI-powered and trending. Saudi Arabia's big bet on Hollywood-style cinema, Desert Warrior, starring Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley, just bombed at the box office. This $150 million epic finally hit theaters last weekend in the US and Middle East after a rocky five-year production. In the US, it pulled in just $596,000 across 1,010 screens by Thursday, marking it as a major flop. Vertical, the US distributor didn't pay top dollar for the rights, so they might still turn a profit through video on demand and home video, leaning. Hard on Mackie's star power in their marketing push. Over in the Middle East, things stayed dim. It made $87,000 from $6,100 tickets in Saudi Arabia over opening weekend, landing as the 8th biggest that. Week. Hits like Shabbab al-Bam, crushed it with over $1 million, and even Project Hail Mary

1:02did $700,000. Sources blan creative woes, like Director Changes, and a budget that ballooned from delays, plus it failed to click with Arab or Western crowds. Many test screenings bond, too, raising doubts about demand for a Western take on Arab tales. Still, beyond the numbers, Desert Warrior built Saudi's filmmaking muscle as they pivot from oil. Crews say the real win is the infrastructure and lessons for future swings, no matter what the Crown Prince thinks next.