Saudi Arabia Becomes Top Middle East Theatrical Market, Bucking COVID-Era Downward Trend (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comNick Vivarelli International CorrespondentWhile box office returns in 2020 will suffer an estimated 80% global drop due to COVID-19, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is bucking this downward trend, having grown since 2019 to become the Middle East’s top grossing territory this year to date.Fresh figures released during the recent META Cinema Forum exhibitors’ conference reveal that Saudi Arabia this year has overtaken the United Arab Emirates and is currently the region’s top-grossing territory, with more than $73 million in theatrical movie ticket sales over the past 40 weeks — a roughly $2 million increase in box office returns compared with the same period in 2019.The UAE during the same 2020 period has generated roughly $51 million, roughly.
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