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Desert Warrior Grosses About $0.5 Million Worldwide on a $150 Million Budget

Years of post-production turmoil with scant U.S. marketing left the Saudi-financed epic struggling to find an audience.

Overview

  • The film, released in the U.S. on April 24, has earned about $517,508 worldwide so far, including roughly $487,848 in North America on a little over 1,000 screens.
  • That result against a reported $150 million production cost puts the title on track to rank among the biggest box-office failures on record.
  • Reviews have been poor, with Rotten Tomatoes scores in the mid‑20s and a per‑screen average near $483 that signals very weak turnout.
  • Domestic distribution came through Vertical Entertainment, a smaller outfit, and the movie received minimal U.S. promotion that left many potential viewers unaware.
  • Production troubles stretched from 2021–2022 filming into years of editing disputes as director Rupert Wyatt exited, then returned with a cut that premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in September 2025, while the Saudi‑backed project’s final tally now depends on overseas rollouts tied to its MBC Group financing and Neom ambitions.