An entertainment industry, built from zero
89 million visits to events and venues in 2025
Vibrant Society pillar2 sourcesLast verified 2026-05-16
Hero metric
Visits to entertainment events & venues
89M+
2025 (GEA Annual Report)Active entertainment destinations: 513 (2024) → 975 (2025), nearly doubled in one year.
Publishers include: SPA · Arab News
Trend over time · 7 data points
2017 → 2025
Hover any point for the period, value, and primary publisher.
The Story
Before
Before 2017, Saudi Arabia had no public cinemas (a 35-year ban), no formal concert circuit, no national entertainment regulator. Saudis spent an estimated SAR 50B+ each year on entertainment abroad — money that left the country.
Initiative
The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) was established to regulate and develop the sector. Cinema ban lifted (2018). Riyadh Season, Jeddah Season, AlUla, Diriyah, and city-level event calendars. A licensing framework that prioritized safety and compliance while opening the field to private investment.
Outcome
In 2025, Saudi entertainment venues and events drew over 89 million visits across 1,690 events spanning 75,661 event days. The number of active entertainment destinations almost doubled in a single year — from 513 in 2024 to 975 in 2025. Cinema screens went from zero to 700+ across 60+ locations.
For citizens
For most Saudis under 30, a Friday-night choice between a concert, a film, an exhibition, a sports event or a festival is now part of normal life. Money once spent abroad on entertainment stays in the local economy and pays Saudi salaries.
Supporting metrics
Events hosted
1,690
2025
Event days
75,661
2025
Companies in sector
6,778
2025
Compliance with GEA regulations
92%
2025
Cinema screens — geographic spread
81 screens across 16 governorates
by end-2025 (from zero before 2018)
Norah at Cannes — first Saudi feature selected
Un Certain Regard
2024 (Tawfik Alzaidi, first Saudi film at the section)
Saudi Pro League global transfer share
~15%
June-September 2023 of all global football transfer spending
ESL FACEIT acquisition
$1.5B
2022 — consolidating two largest esports tournament operators
Esports World Cup prize pool
$60M+
2024-2025 — largest single-event prize pool in gaming
MBC content commissioning shift
~40% Saudi-language originals
2025 (from negligible share pre-Vision)
Media and content sector direct employment
50,000-70,000 Saudis
2025 (essentially didn't exist outside government broadcasting in 2017)
Timeline of Milestones
2017
General Entertainment Authority (GEA) established
2018
35-year cinema ban lifted; first cinema opens (AMC, Riyadh)
2019
First Riyadh Season launches
2025
89M visits, 975 active destinations, 700+ cinema screens
Evidence library · 2 primary sources
Sorted by tier, newest first
Cinema, reborn from zero
From 0 cinema screens in 2017 to 700+ at 60+ locations across 16 governorates
700+
Riyadh Season — country's biggest festival
13 million visits to the multi-month festival in 2024-2025
13M
Saudis employed in entertainment
100,000+ direct jobs in the entertainment sector
100K+
MDLBeast Soundstorm — biggest Saudi music festival
700,000+ attendees at a single multi-day festival
700K+
Initiative attribution: General Entertainment Authority (GEA), Quality of Life Program, Riyadh Season, Jeddah Season. Citizen benefit category: Recreation, culture, social life.