Saudi Ministry of Media Launches Documentary, ‘Horizon’, on Netflix

The documentary is the latest work of the Konoz Productive, Artistic and Visual Initiative. (SPA)
The documentary is the latest work of the Konoz Productive, Artistic and Visual Initiative. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Ministry of Media Launches Documentary, ‘Horizon’, on Netflix

The documentary is the latest work of the Konoz Productive, Artistic and Visual Initiative. (SPA)
The documentary is the latest work of the Konoz Productive, Artistic and Visual Initiative. (SPA)

Konoz, an initiative of the Saudi Ministry of Media's Center for Government Communication (CGC), released a new documentary called "Horizon" that, in collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife, highlights the abundance of wildlife and natural resources in Saudi Arabia.

 

The documentary is currently available on Netflix.

 

The documentary is the latest work of the Konoz Productive, Artistic and Visual Initiative and aims to raise awareness of the Kingdom's biodiversity, unique geographical areas, and efforts to protect wildlife, preserve rare species.

 

The documentary showcases a wide range of fungal organisms in their natural habitat, from the plains to the mountains and the sea to the valleys. Viewers will also spot dugongs, dolphins, the Arabian leopard, deer, and oryx.

 

The film also gives an extraordinary look at the ecological diversity of the Kingdom, with its varied terrain and regions defined by different climates, allowing for the peaceful cohabitation of over 10,000 species of animals.

 

The documentary takes viewers on a visual tour of five different elements—marine ecosystems, mountains, deserts, humans, and nature—before offering a peek into the potential future uses of the Kingdom's abundant natural resources.

 

The filming process lasted over 200 days and involved a specialized crew of 50 individuals who travelled over 4,700 km to film in 28 different locations across the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Tabuk, Taif, AlUla, Farasan Islands, and other regions. Additionally, 13 Saudi researchers with expertise in wildlife contributed to the documentary.

 

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said: "Many of the secrets of wildlife in the Kingdom are presented to the world by the documentary ‘Horizon’.”

 

The documentary is available in Arabic and English.

 

One of the aims of the Kingdom Vision 2030 is to ensure that the Kingdom's environmental sector is well-developed and protected. The National Center for Wildlife has in recent years played a key role in this effort, underscoring the Kingdom's dedication to its natural heritage and drawing attention to the beautiful and scenic resources.



‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
TT

‘Mufasa’ and ‘Sonic 3’ Rule First Weekend of 2025

Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)
Director Barry Jenkins at the premiere of "Mufasa: The Lion King." (AFP via Getty Images)

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.

The photorealistic “Lion King” prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn’t far behind.

“Sonic 3” stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. “Mufasa’s” running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.

In third place, Focus Features’ “Nosferatu” remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable.

“Nosferatu,” which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).

No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, “Moana 2,” claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.

The Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in 2019.

A24’s drama “Babygirl," which added 49 locations, held steady at $4.5 million.

Another Thanksgiving leftover, “Wicked,” rounded out the top five. Universal’s movie musical was made available to purchase on VOD on Jan. 31, but still earned another $10.2 million from theaters. The movie is up for several awards at Sunday’s Golden Globes, including nominations for Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, best motion picture musical or comedy and “cinematic and box office achievement,” which last year went to “Barbie.”

Also in theaters this weekend was the IMAX re-release of David Fincher’s 4K restoration of “Seven,” which earned just over $1 million from 200 locations.

The 2025 box office year is already off to a better start than 2024, up around 20% from the same weekend last year.