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Saudi Arts, Entertainment Sector Achieves 20% Growth in 2024

File photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh - File/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh - File/AAWSAT
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Saudi Arts, Entertainment Sector Achieves 20% Growth in 2024

File photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh - File/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi capital Riyadh - File/AAWSAT

The Saudi Ministry of Commerce has revealed that commercial registers in the arts and entertainment sector grew by 20% during 2024 compared to 2023.
The ministry highlighted significant growth in several key sectors, in which innovative arts and entertainment activities saw a 30% increase, with a total of 4,188 registers. Amusement park activities recorded a 26% rise, bringing the total to 6,108 registers.
Registers for other entertainment activities grew by 25%, reaching a total of 14,239. Sports club activities saw an 18% increase, with the total number of registers rising to 8,095 by the end of 2024, SPA reported.
The arts and entertainment sector is a key pillar of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, playing a vital role in boosting the local economy, diversifying income sources, increasing the GDP, and creating opportunities for the private sector to offer experiences that enhance the quality of life for all members of society.

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Keke Palmer Comedy ‘One of Them Days’ and ‘Mufasa’ in Close Race for No. 1

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Keke Palmer, left, and SZA in a scene from "One of them Days." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Keke Palmer, left, and SZA in a scene from "One of them Days." (Sony Pictures via AP)
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Keke Palmer Comedy ‘One of Them Days’ and ‘Mufasa’ in Close Race for No. 1

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Keke Palmer, left, and SZA in a scene from "One of them Days." (Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Keke Palmer, left, and SZA in a scene from "One of them Days." (Sony Pictures via AP)

The Keke Palmer buddy comedy “One of Them Days” opened in first place on the North American box office charts on a particularly slow Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.

The R-rated Sony release earned $11.6 million from 2,675 theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday, beating Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” by a hair. By the end of Monday's holiday, “Mufasa” will have the edge, however.

“One of Them Days” cost only $14 million to produce, which it is expected to earn by Monday. The very well-reviewed buddy comedy stars Palmer and SZA as friends and roommates scrambling to get money for rent before their landlord evicts them. Notably it’s the first Black female-led theatrical comedy since “Girls Trip” came out in 2017 and it currently carries a stellar 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

But the marketplace was also quite weak overall. The total box office for Friday, Saturday and Sunday will add up to less than $80 million, according to data from Comscore, making it one of the worst Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekends since 1997.

“For an individual film like ‘One of Them Days’ this was a great weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “You can still find success stories within what is overall a low grossing weekend for movie theaters.”

The Walt Disney Co.’s “Mufasa” was close by in second place with $11.5 million from the weekend, its fifth playing in theaters. Globally, the Barry Jenkins-directed prequel has made $588 million. It even beat a brand-new offering, the Blumhouse horror “Wolf Man,” which debuted in third place with $10.6 million from 3,354 North American theaters.

Writer-director Leigh Whannell’s monster tale starring Christopher Abbott and Julia Garner did not enter theaters with great reviews. It currently carries a 53% on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviews don’t generally affect the success of horror movies in their first weekend, but audiences also gave it a lackluster C- CinemaScore in exit polls. The Blumhouse production and Universal Pictures release cost a reported $25 million to make and is expected to reach $12 million by the close of Monday’s holiday.

“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” was in fourth place with $8.6 million and “Den of Thieves 2” rounded out the top five with $6.6 million.

In specialty releases, Brady Corbert's 215-minute post-war epic “The Brutalist” expanded to 388 screens where it made nearly $2 million over the weekend. A24 reported that it sold out various 70mm and IMAX showings. The studio also re-released its Colman Domingo drama “Sing Sing” in theaters and prisons, where over 1 million incarcerated people in 46 states were able to view the film.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend has seen major successes in the past. Dergarabedian noted “Bad Boys for Life,” which had a three-day opening of $62.5 million in 2020, and “American Sniper,” which earned $89.3 in its first weekend in wide release in 2016.

“This is a year that’s going to get a big boost starting with ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ and ‘Paddington in Peru’ in February,” Dergarabedian said.