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Big budget does not always mean big success. Sometimes, it can create a historic disaster.
Saudi Arabia’s ambitious film Desert Warrior is now being discussed as one of the biggest box office bombs in world cinema.
Made on a massive budget of around Rs 1400 crore, the film reportedly earned just around Rs 6 crore worldwide.
The film was planned as a grand attempt to put Saudi cinema on the global map. It had Hollywood names, international technicians, huge sets and a large-scale production setup.
Directed by Rupert Wyatt of Rise of the Planet of the Apes fame, Desert Warrior starred Anthony Mackie, Ben Kingsley, Sharlto Copley and Aiysha Hart.
The story was set in seventh-century Arabia and revolved around Princess Hind’s battle against Emperor Kisra.
The makers reportedly spent heavily on production, cast salaries and training hundreds of local workers. Nearly 400 to 500 people were said to be present on the sets every day.
But all the grandeur failed to bring audiences to theatres.
The film opened poorly in North America, collecting just about $472,000 from over 1,000 theatres.
Even in Saudi Arabia, its home market, the response was shocking. It reportedly opened at eighth place and earned only around $87,000 in its first weekend.
Within two weeks, the film almost vanished from theatres. Its worldwide total stood at just about $665,000, roughly Rs 6 crore.
That means Desert Warrior recovered less than 0.4 percent of its cost. The loss is being described as one of the worst ever for a feature film.
The reasons are clear: weak marketing, poor buzz and negative word of mouth.
The film spent too long in post-production and lost the initial hype. Even its Hollywood stars did not create enough noise before release.
In the end, Desert Warrior proved that a huge budget and global cast cannot save a film if the audience is not interested.
What was planned as a mega launchpad for Saudi cinema has turned into a historic box office embarrassment.
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Lol
JUMPER BUMPER
Post Garu – Stop Using Caste and Religion to Divide People
“Post Garu, it is important to be careful about repeatedly bringing caste into political discussions. If someone follows Christianity, the core teaching is love, equality, forgiveness, and treating all people as one family — not reinforcing caste identities or caste-based narratives.
No one gains anything by promoting caste divisions in society. Whether in politics or public discussion, using caste in a negative or divisive way only creates misunderstanding and social distance among people.
Faith, if sincerely followed, should encourage unity and compassion, not division. It is always better to reflect on whether our words are helping people come together or pushing them apart.
At the end of the day, actions and intentions matter, and people are accountable for what they promote in society. It is better to choose peace, respect, and unity over division.
100% agree . My kamma caste, my pride. Kammolam andi memu
Saw the film in theatre, Pretty decent one. But, the name “Desert Warrior” isn’t inline with the storyline.
Who will be interested in pandhulu stories?
The benchmark to compare is Adi Purush. So, was it better or bad than Purush?
Without petrol they’re zero.
Post Garu – Stop Using Caste and Religion to Divide People
“Post Garu, it is important to be careful about repeatedly bringing caste into political discussions. If someone follows Christianity, the core teaching is love, equality, forgiveness, and treating all people as one family — not reinforcing caste identities or caste-based narratives.
No one gains anything by promoting caste divisions in society. Whether in politics or public discussion, using caste in a negative or divisive way only creates misunderstanding and social distance among people.
Faith, if sincerely followed, should encourage unity and compassion, not division. It is always better to reflect on whether our words are helping people come together or pushing them apart.
At the end of the day, actions and intentions matter, and people are accountable for what they promote in society. It is better to choose peace, respect, and unity over division.