“Cinemagoers don’t have the appetite for a film about a desert war in the middle of a literal desert war,” said an industry observer regarding Desert Warrior. The film, which features Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley, opened to dismal numbers on April 24, 2026.
Box office performance:
- Desert Warrior earned $596,000 domestically across 1,010 screens during its opening weekend.
- The film had a production budget of $150 million.
- It averaged $590 per screen in the U.S. during its opening weekend.
- In Saudi Arabia, the film earned $87,000 from 6,100 admissions.
- Total earnings in the Middle East were approximately $225,000.
- The film ranked eighth at the box office in Saudi Arabia during its debut weekend.
The production faced delays and creative disagreements over five years. Audience testing of an unfinished version in July 2023 produced negative feedback. Despite heavy marketing efforts, interest remained low.
A distribution executive remarked, “I’m not sure who it is targeting. It looks like another big-budget Hollywood film that just happens to have been filmed in Saudi.” The film was distributed by Vertical after being acquired in February 2026.
Critics responded poorly to Desert Warrior, giving it a 29% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The release coincided with ongoing military conflicts in the Middle East, impacting audience reception.
Many insiders believed MBC Group would choose to release it directly to streaming instead of theatrically. The failure raises questions about whether Saudi Arabia will continue investing in blockbuster filmmaking following this setback.
