Saudi Arabia Movie theatre market generated a revenue of around 480 Mn in 2025- Which factors can make the industry more lucrative in the future?
The Saudi government, in a bid to increase entertainment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, allowed screening of movies in 2018, says a report by Ken Research
- Overview of tourism, leisure and entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia
Other Challenges In Saudi Arabia Leisure and Entertainment Market Outlook to 2025
For all entertainment activities, Riyadh and Mecca received the most visitors and hosted the most events, followed by the Eastern Regions, including Dammam and Al Khobar. Theater shows have been growing in Saudi Arabia in the absence of movie theaters for the growth of local talent. From 2013-2018, total number of theater seats have increased from 1,450 to 2,000 while attendants have increased from 25,000 to nearly 29,000. For the tourism industry in terms of expenditure by tourists for inbound trips, share of expenditure on religious purposes dominated the overall expenditure, while expenditure made for business and conferences was a distant second.
- Population mix of Saudi Arabia- It is relatively a young nation with around 15 million of population belonging to the age group of 25-54 in 2019.
Saudi Arabia had a population of about 34 Mn in 2019 which increased by 30 Mn in 2014, approximately growing at a CAGR of 2.1% during 2014-2019. Out of total population 19.6 Mn residents were male whereas 14.5 Mn of the people were female in 2019. The largest city of Riyadh was home to 4.2 Mn people, whereas 2.8 million people resided in Jeddah. Other major cities in the region are Makkah with a population of 1.3 million, Medina having population of 1.3 million, Sultanah having population of 0.9 million and Dammam with population of 0.7 million as of 2019. This diverse mix of population will drive the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia.
- Trends and developments in Saudi Arabia leisure and entertainment market
While most of the new cinemas are likely to screen predominantly international productions, the growth in sector is expected to drive trend for local filmmaking. Moreover, at the Cannes Festival, KSA has increased its focus on promoting domestic filmmaking.
With the aim of securing a 70/30 ratio of non-religious to religious foreign visitors by 2030, the kingdom has developed a tourism plan which is squarely focused on leisure and relaxation.
The focus on expanding the entertainment and leisure industry is leading to increased investment opportunities for both foreign and domestic companies.
While most of the new cinemas are likely to screen predominantly international productions, the growth in sector is expected to drive trend for local filmmaking. Moreover, at the Cannes Festival, KSA has increased its focus on promoting domestic filmmaking.
With the aim of securing a 70/30 ratio of non-religious to religious foreign visitors by 2030, the kingdom has developed a tourism plan which is squarely focused on leisure and relaxation.
The focus on expanding the entertainment and leisure industry is leading to increased investment opportunities for both foreign and domestic companies.
While most of the new cinemas are likely to screen predominantly international productions, the growth in sector is expected to drive trend for local filmmaking. Moreover, at the Cannes Festival, KSA has increased its focus on promoting domestic filmmaking.
With the aim of securing a 70/30 ratio of non-religious to religious foreign visitors by 2030, the kingdom has developed a tourism plan which is squarely focused on leisure and relaxation.
The focus on expanding the entertainment and leisure industry is leading to increased investment opportunities for both foreign and domestic companies.
Contact Ken Research:
Ankur Gupta
Head Marketing and Communications
+91-9015378249
