The Saudi Box Office demonstrated remarkable resilience in April 2025, generating SAR113.1 million in revenue with local production ‘Shabab EL Bomb’ capturing 20% market share
The Saudi cinema market demonstrated remarkable resilience in April 2025, generating SAR113.1 million in total box office revenue despite typical post-holiday adjustments, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Culture. This performance culminated in strong upward momentum, with the final week recording SAR21.4 million in revenue—a 26.6% increase from the previous week, signaling sustained consumer engagement across the cinema exhibition sector.
According to Gower Street Analytics, this acceleration aligns with the international box office (excluding China), which recorded the highest grossing month since December 2024 ($2.8 billion) with an April total of $2.1 billion—representing a 36% increase over April last year. Internationally, ‘Minecraft Movie’ and ‘Sinners’ powered the box office where there were still gaps expected to be filled in May with a denser, IP-driven, high-profile, and diverse schedule. However, the Saudi market demonstrated a distinctive strength by filling these same programming gaps with regional content, as evidenced by the exceptional performance of multiple Arabic productions.
This regional content advantage is exemplified by the Saudi production ‘Shabab EL Bomb 2,’ which emerged as the undisputed market leader, maintaining the top position for three consecutive weeks and amassing SAR 24.9 million across 537,300 admissions. This single title accounted for over 20% of the month’s total box office revenue, highlighting the growing influence and commercial viability of regional content within the Saudi cinema ecosystem.
Ministry data reveals a classic market recovery pattern throughout April, with weekly revenue stabilizing after an exceptionally strong start. The month began with SAR39.6 million during the week of March 30-April 5 (Eid Al-Fitr holidays), before adjusting to SAR 19.7 million in the second week. This adjustment phase subsequently gave way to a period of steady improvement, with revenues ultimately climbing to SAR 21.4 million in the closing week of April 27-May 3.
The Hollywood action thriller ‘A Working Man’ also delivered a strong performance with SAR 17.4 million and 318,200 admissions, reinforcing the region’s demonstrated preference for international action titles. ‘A Minecraft Movie’ established a solid franchise foundation with SAR 17.3 million across 361,800 admissions over five weeks, highlighting the market’s expanding capacity to sustain diverse content simultaneously.
Several releases exhibited notable growth patterns worth examining. ‘Asaf’ demonstrated consistent week-over-week box office increases, culminating in SAR 7.9 million from 152,300 admissions. Illustrating the effectiveness of strategic release planning in the Saudi market, ‘Siko Siko’ implemented an effective slow-build distribution strategy, starting modestly before gaining significant market traction in its second week to reach SAR 5.0 million from 90,700 admissions.
Marvel’s ‘Thunderbolts’ entered the market in the final week of April with SAR 3.4 million from 55,400 admissions, with industry projections suggesting continued momentum based on strong critical reception and established franchise appeal.
Data from Motivate Val Morgan’s proprietary cinema intelligence platform for advertisers CineMeasure reveals substantial audience engagement across our circuit, with 1.81 million admissions recorded between March 27 and April 30 2025. This audience represents premium consumer segments with demonstrated purchasing power and heightened brand receptivity within the distraction-free cinema environment.
Our detailed analytics identify significant opportunities within premium viewing experiences, which continue gaining substantial market share. Luxury screens accounted for 8% of total admissions, providing brands unprecedented access to high-net-worth consumers in receptive environments. Further enhancing this premium segment, experience formats such as IMAX and Dolby contributed 14% of admissions—collectively catering to diverse tiers of already-affluent moviegoers. All of these create targeted engagement opportunities for precision marketing initiatives.
The established box office trajectory, combined with the acceleration potential of both Eid al-Adha and the subsequent summer blockbuster calendar, creates unprecedented opportunities for brands seeking meaningful consumer engagement in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
The regional exhibition sector including Saudi is poised to enter its most commercially productive period of 2025. This critical revenue window begins with Eid al-Adha celebrations in early June—historically generating 2.5-3x normal weekly admissions—and continues through the summer months with a strategically diversified content pipeline.
The seasonal slate balances culturally-relevant Arabic productions including ‘Restart,’ ‘F1,’ ‘Ahmed W Ahmed,’ and ‘Darwish’ with tentpole Hollywood franchise entries such as ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,’ ’28 Years Later,’ ‘Superman ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ and more—creating multiple strategic entry points for targeted advertising initiatives.
This powerful convergence of holiday timing, premium audience demographics, and diversified content offerings positions the Saudi and regional cinema market for exceptional growth through Q2-Q3 2025. The guaranteed audience concentration during these peak periods reinforces cinema’s status as the region’s dominant exhibition platform and an advertising medium that never misses its audience.
Sources: Saudi Ministry of Culture, CinePlan and CineMeasure
Moviegoers as well as frequent streamers still prefer the theatrical movie experience over streaming for highly anticipated films
The cinematic experience remains unrivaled in its ability to captivate audiences with immersive storytelling on a grand scale. A recent Screenvision/VAB study confirms what industry experts have long understood: dedicated moviegoers and frequent streamers alike continue to prioritize theatrical releases for their most anticipated viewing moments. For brands looking to make an impact, this is a golden opportunity.
There’s a reason why advertisers have long turned to cinema: it’s a setting where audiences are fully engaged, distraction-free, and emotionally connected. And the numbers back it up. According to the Screenvision Custom Study, both frequent moviegoers and streamers agree that theaters deliver the most exciting, memorable, and immersive experiences for their anticipated content:
For advertisers, this concentrated attention represents invaluable currency in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. Cinema advertising sidesteps the challenges of divided attention, offering instead a rare opportunity to engage with audiences in a state of complete receptivity.
Cinema’s enduring appeal transcends mere content consumption—it offers a deliberate social and cultural experience that streaming cannot replicate. The communal nature of theatrical viewing creates a shared emotional journey that resonates deeply with audiences.
The same study revealed key factors driving theatrical preference:
This powerful combination of cultural significance and sensory immersion creates exceptional conditions for effective advertising, with messages benefiting from heightened emotional receptivity and enhanced recall.
As the industry approaches the summer season, cinema advertising reaches its zenith of effectiveness. The coming months represent the premier period for theatrical attendance, offering advertisers access to the year’s most anticipated films and the largest, most diverse audiences.
This summer’s impressive lineup features prestigious releases spanning multiple genres, including the eagerly anticipated “Marvel Thunderbolts*,” the reimagined “Superman,” the latest “Jurassic World” installment, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” “Karate Kid: Legends,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” “F1,” “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” and numerous other high-profile productions.
This summer’s blockbuster lineup will draw diverse audience segments across demographics, offering advertisers precision-targeted opportunities rarely found in other media. Cinema stands alone in its ability to consistently deliver Super Bowl-caliber impressions week after week throughout the season. As these cultural events draw unprecedented crowds, brands leveraging cinema advertising will capture a unique combination of focused attention and emotional engagement—reinforcing cinema’s position as the premier platform for high-impact brand messaging when audiences are most receptive.
Source: Screenvision, VAB, Google
