Saudi Arabia is embracing Hollywood with open arms, notching deals with live theater producer Cirque du Soleil and the world’s largest exhibitor AMC Theaters, as its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman courts investments in the reforming oil-rich nation. Here’s the pertinent parts pertaining to Cirque du Soleil:
Its entertainment agency, the General Entertainment Authority, announced a new Cirque du Soleil show in Saudi Arabia, plus partnerships with touring company Feld Entertainment, National Geographic Encounter experiences and festival promoter IMG Artists. The Cirque du Soleil contract will see the Montreal, Canada-based company create a new production designed for a one-time performance on Saudi Arabia’s National Day on Sunday, September 23rd. It will be the first Cirque du Soleil show in the Gulf nation. “We’ll have 150 artists onstage, our largest cast ever,” said Jonathan Tetrault, COO of Cirque du Soleil. “The right conditions are now in place for us to perform for a mixed cast and a mixed audience.” The performance, performed live for the Prince, will also be broadcast on Saudi Television.
The full release is below…
Saudi Arabia is embracing Hollywood with open arms, notching deals with live theater producer Cirque du Soleil and the world’s largest exhibitor AMC Theaters, as its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman courts investments in the reforming oil-rich nation.
Its government entertainment agency, the General Entertainment Authority, today announced a new Cirque du Soleil show in Saudi Arabia, plus partnerships with touring company Feld Entertainment, National Geographic Encounter experiences and festival promoter IMG Artists.
“These industry-leading partners genuinely understand the intriguing, new investment opportunities that Saudi Arabia offers in global entertainment,” said GEA’s Chairman His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb in a press release. “Their significant investment signals the appeal of Saudi Arabia’s easy enter-to-market policy and confidence in the Saudi 2030 Vision.”
Coupled with AMC Theaters’ declared plans to open up to 100 cinemas in Saudi Arabia by 2030, these deals are aimed at kickstarting the Gulf nation’s nascent entertainment industry. They are part of the country’s recent ambitious social and political reforms that have been spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to modernize its society and diversify its economy.
The Cirque du Soleil contract will see the Montreal, Canada-based company create a new production designed for a one-time performance on Saudi Arabia’s National Day in September. It will be the first Cirque du Soleil show in the Gulf nation.
“We’ll have 150 artists onstage, our largest cast ever,” said Jonathan Tetrault, COO of Cirque du Soleil, during a conference organized by the Saudi Arabian government in Beverly Hills, California, to court entertainment investment from U.S. entities. “The right conditions are now in place for us to perform for a mixed cast and a mixed audience.”
Saudi Arabia’s tactic is to partner with established U.S. companies in the hopes of minimizing missteps. “The objective is not to bring capital to the country, the objective is to have a sustainable business,” said Ibrahim Al Omar, governor of GEA, in conversation onstage with Arianna Huffington.
Businesses that satisfy its censors are all the more welcome. Sure enough, family-friendly outings are on the way: Feld Entertainment’s new five year partnership with GEA includes promises to bring its shows, which include Disney On Ice and Monster Jam, to the nation.
It’s not stopping there. GEA plans to build 10 locations to house National Geographic Encounter, an underwater walk-through experience that is currently on show in Manhattan’s Times Square. The first of several outposts in the region are scheduled to open in Riyadh next year. Other infrastructure is on the way: IMG Artists’ deal to bring more large-scale concerts to the region will require the construction of new venues, according to GEA.
The deal bonanza comes as AMC Theaters prepares to open its first theater in the nation in two weeks. It is the first exhibitor allowed back in the country since the Kingdom banned movies 35 years ago under pressure from powerful religious clerics.
A hundred theaters in the next 12 years is a cautious first step for the nation, which has some 32 million citizens. But Mohammed Bin Salman has been aggressively courting foreign favor–and more contracts are likely on the way.
These deals are part of a three-week tour around the U.S. that has seen him hold court with Hollywood bigwigs in recent days: He reportedly dined at the home of Rupert Murdoch with the heads of nearly every major studio on Monday and is reportedly scheduled to meet Oprah.
