Saudi-backed 'Desert Warrior' grosses just $472K on a $150M budget in historic box office disaster
Fox News • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) has faced a major setback with the box office failure of "Desert Warrior," a $150 million film that grossed only about $517,000 worldwide in its opening week.
- This failure adds to a tough week for Saudi-backed entertainment projects, including LIV Golf, which may need new funding or face shutdown amid regional uncertainties.
- "Desert Warrior" features a notable cast including Anthony Mackie and Ben Kingsley but has received poor critical reception, with a 29% Rotten Tomatoes score and a 2.1/10 IMDb rating.
- The film's poor performance dwarfs recent Hollywood flops like Disney’s "Snow White" and "The Marvels," which also suffered significant financial losses but not to this extent.
- Despite these setbacks, the PIF's potential equity stake in the combined Warner Bros. and Paramount studios could represent a more viable strategy for Saudi investments in Hollywood moving forward.
