Saudi Arabia Emerges as Key Export Market for Egyptian Cinema
Saudi box office becomes primary revenue source for the top Egyptian film exports as Gulf-Arab co-production ties deepen
Egypt’s film industry, the oldest and largest in the Arab region, is increasingly turning to foreign markets for revenue, with Saudi Arabia emerging as the leading destination.
Data revealed during the latest edition of the Cairo Film Connection (CFC), held within Cairo Industry Days in November 2025, shows that for nine of the top ten Egyptian export titles from 2021-24 the Saudi market ranked first in box-office take.
The CFC report states that 27 per cent of the top 65 films ever screened in the Saudi market are Egyptian productions.
One standout example is the romantic comedy Bahebek (“I Love You”) starring Tamer Hosny, which grossed two point eight million dollars in Egypt but achieved twenty-two point nine million dollars across West Asia.
Similarly, Sons of Rizk 3: Knockout (2024) made six point one million dollars domestically and twenty-two point three million abroad, while A Stand Worthy of Men (2021) recorded one point seven million dollars in Egypt and eighteen point three million internationally.
In 2024 the report highlights that Egyptian films ranked third in the Saudi market, behind United States and India titles.
That year, thirty-three Egyptian films released in Saudi Arabia generated over fifty-three million dollars—more than double the total earnings of Egyptian films in their home market, which were about twenty-three point five million dollars.
The document also notes that Egyptian-Saudi co-productions qualify for preferential tax treatment on Saudi box-office revenue, offering an incentive for deeper collaboration.
Meanwhile, the domestic market in Egypt continues to suffer from currency depreciation: the value in US dollars of local box-office receipts has fallen from fifty-nine point six million dollars in 2019 to a projected thirty-six million dollars in 2025, even though admissions rose from twelve million in 2024 and are expected to reach thirteen point eight million by the end of 2025. In the domestic window Egyptian films typically account for around twenty per cent of all releases but approximately seventy per cent of box-office take, while US titles stood at twenty-eight point five per cent of take in 2025.
Distribution and production dynamics are shifting: the leading local distributor, Synergy, has been overtaken in 2025 by Misr International Films, and Synergy’s former manager established a new firm, Film Square, now building market share.
A new rising player is UVF, a subsidiary of the Saudi media conglomerate Arab Radio and Television Network, which focuses on financing and distributing mid-budget Egyptian films with a view to Gulf export.
The report underlines how the CFC platform and co-production links with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations are enabling Arab filmmakers to complete projects and access new festival and commercial windows.
Recent successes include the Tunisian film Four Daughters and the Jordanian title Inshallah a Boy, both supported through CFC and its broader ecosystem.
With the Saudi exhibition sector expanding rapidly and Egyptian filmmakers finding stronger foreign demand, the industry is entering a new era in which export earnings and strategic Gulf partnerships will be central to sustaining growth and cultural reach.
Data revealed during the latest edition of the Cairo Film Connection (CFC), held within Cairo Industry Days in November 2025, shows that for nine of the top ten Egyptian export titles from 2021-24 the Saudi market ranked first in box-office take.
The CFC report states that 27 per cent of the top 65 films ever screened in the Saudi market are Egyptian productions.
One standout example is the romantic comedy Bahebek (“I Love You”) starring Tamer Hosny, which grossed two point eight million dollars in Egypt but achieved twenty-two point nine million dollars across West Asia.
Similarly, Sons of Rizk 3: Knockout (2024) made six point one million dollars domestically and twenty-two point three million abroad, while A Stand Worthy of Men (2021) recorded one point seven million dollars in Egypt and eighteen point three million internationally.
In 2024 the report highlights that Egyptian films ranked third in the Saudi market, behind United States and India titles.
That year, thirty-three Egyptian films released in Saudi Arabia generated over fifty-three million dollars—more than double the total earnings of Egyptian films in their home market, which were about twenty-three point five million dollars.
The document also notes that Egyptian-Saudi co-productions qualify for preferential tax treatment on Saudi box-office revenue, offering an incentive for deeper collaboration.
Meanwhile, the domestic market in Egypt continues to suffer from currency depreciation: the value in US dollars of local box-office receipts has fallen from fifty-nine point six million dollars in 2019 to a projected thirty-six million dollars in 2025, even though admissions rose from twelve million in 2024 and are expected to reach thirteen point eight million by the end of 2025. In the domestic window Egyptian films typically account for around twenty per cent of all releases but approximately seventy per cent of box-office take, while US titles stood at twenty-eight point five per cent of take in 2025.
Distribution and production dynamics are shifting: the leading local distributor, Synergy, has been overtaken in 2025 by Misr International Films, and Synergy’s former manager established a new firm, Film Square, now building market share.
A new rising player is UVF, a subsidiary of the Saudi media conglomerate Arab Radio and Television Network, which focuses on financing and distributing mid-budget Egyptian films with a view to Gulf export.
The report underlines how the CFC platform and co-production links with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations are enabling Arab filmmakers to complete projects and access new festival and commercial windows.
Recent successes include the Tunisian film Four Daughters and the Jordanian title Inshallah a Boy, both supported through CFC and its broader ecosystem.
With the Saudi exhibition sector expanding rapidly and Egyptian filmmakers finding stronger foreign demand, the industry is entering a new era in which export earnings and strategic Gulf partnerships will be central to sustaining growth and cultural reach.