RIYADH — The revenues of the cinema sector in Saudi Arabia from April 2018 until March of current year amounted to about SR3.7 billion, while the total tickets sold reached more than 61 million tickets, according to the General Authority for Media Regulation.

These statistics come 6 years after the opening of the first cinemas in Saudi Arabia.

Hanaa Al-Omair, president of the Saudi Cinema Society, said that Saudi box office is thriving, and Saudi Arabia is currently the most growing market in the Middle East.

Saudi Cinema has imposed its presence over the past years, which is a promising step.

She also said that last year, the Saudi cinematic content reached about 19 Saudi films, which indicates that if Saudi cinema continues to rise, “then we are moving in the right direction,” she said.

She also pointed out that increasing the opening of cinema halls creates greater purchasing power, which doubles the success of the Saudi box office.

The data showed that number of films screened in Saudi Arabia reached 1,971 films, including 45 local films. The number of theater operators reached about 6 companies, while cinemas in Saudi Arabia are distributed in 22 Saudi cities.

The number of cinemas in Saudi Arabia reached 66, while the number of screens reached about 618, in addition to 63,373 seats.

The cinema sector in Saudi Arabia has made significant progress as a result of continuous efforts to strengthen the cinema industry.

Efforts concerned with cultural and civilizational development are increasing.

By holding local and international film festivals, including the “Red Sea Festival” and the “Saudi Film Festival”, the Kingdom is becoming a center for creativity and excellence.

It is also an attractive environment that attracts directors, actors, artists and investors from all over the world, and provides investment opportunities through financial support for local cinematic projects that Provided by the Cultural Fund. — SG