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Hollywood’s Saudi Tax Rebate Problem

Saudi Arabia has been offering generous rebates to lure productions to the Gulf. But even before the region experienced war and instability and spending slowed, some producers had been left holding an empty bag.

Mohammed bin Salman
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is a big movie fan, and he wants to diversify his country’s economy to reduce its reliance on oil. Photo: Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP/Getty Images
Kim Masters
May 27, 2026

At Cannes a couple of weeks ago, Saudi Arabia announced that it would increase its rebate to as much as 60 percent for movie and television projects that filmed in the country. Amazing, right? That would seemingly be the most generous incentive program in the world, far higher than the 25 to 40 percent offered by some European countries and even the 50 percent that Qatar announced last November. But instead of uncorking the champagne, one producer who has shot in the kingdom said that when he and his associates heard the news, “We started laughing.”