Saudi Arabia's $200M Film Flop: Star Power Can't Save Weak Plot

0:00It's April 29th. This is Entertainment and Celebrity News today, powered by AI. Your daily dose of celebrity buzz. Saudi Arabia dropped a big budget flick starring Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley after six years in the making with costs more than doubling along the way. They rolled it out in over 1,000 U.S. theaters, banking on star power to draw crowds. But audiences stayed away, turning it into a box office miss, despite the heavy push. Those called out the stunning visuals and how its spotlight's Saudi spots as prime filming locations hit slam the wheat plot that failed to hook. Anyone. This flop hits hard as the kingdom pumps billions into creating a homegrown movie scene from scratch. Even with all that cash and Hollywood names, it shows building hits in film ain't easy. Success still rides on killer stories that stick.