RIYADH: Saudi films have generated more than SR100 million at the local box office in 2026, surpassing the milestone for the second successive year, the Saudi Film Commission has announced. Saudi productions had accounted for around 12.7 percent of total box-office revenue in the Kingdom by mid-September, reflecting sustained audience demand for local stories and the growing presence of Saudi-made films in cinemas. The commission’s latest weekly figures showed that the Saudi box office generated SR16 million between Sept. 13 and 19, with more than 329,200 tickets sold across 59 films. Three Saudi productions are currently screening in cinemas across the Kingdom: the action film “7 Dogs,” the action-comedy “Aks Sir” and the animated feature “Azzam: The Butterfly Effect.” This year’s performance follows a record year for local cinema. According to the commission’s 2025 box-office report, 11 Saudi films generated SR122.6 million in revenue from 2.8 million ticket sales. Although Saudi productions represented only about 3 percent of the 538 films screened during the year, they contributed roughly 13 percent of total box-office revenue. Three local titles also ranked among the year’s top 10 highest-grossing releases: “Al-Zarfa,” “Shabab Al-Bomb 2,” and “Hobal.” The industry’s growth is part of a broader transformation that began with the launch of Saudi Vision 2030 in 2016, which identified culture and entertainment as key drivers of social and economic development. The General Entertainment Authority was also established that year to regulate and develop the Kingdom’s entertainment sector. Commercial cinemas returned to Saudi Arabia in April 2018 after a decades-long absence. The Film Commission was established in February 2020 as one of 11 specialized cultural commissions, tasked with developing the sector, supporting Saudi filmmakers, and strengthening the industry’s ecosystem. Government support later expanded through the Cultural Development Fund, established in 2021. In 2023, the fund launched the Film Sector Financing Program with a budget of SR879 million to support production, distribution, and cinema infrastructure, while helping attract local and international investment.