Desert Warrior, a Saudi-backed movie that reportedly cost about $150 million to make, only brought in $472,000 in its opening weekend.
The film, starring Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley, took six years to produce, and its budget more than doubled in that time, according to Enterprise News. Audiences shunning the movie — which was released across more than 1,000 theaters in the US — is a reminder that art is tricky, even as the kingdom pours billions into building a film industry.
Most reviews said the movie was visually impressive and highlighted Saudi Arabia’s appeal as a production hub, but the story was flat. The Hollywood Reporter didn’t mince words: “Desert Warrior takes place in arid settings, but they’re not nearly as arid as the turgid narrative.”