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\n\tIf Desert Warrior<\/em> was one of Saudi Arabia\u2019s big cinema swings, then it looks to have been a swing and a miss, based on the movie\u2019s early box office takings. Starring Captain America<\/em>\u2019s Anthony Mackie and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, Desert Warrior<\/em> endured a troubled five-year trek to the screen, but finally debuted in theaters last weekend across the U.S. and Middle East.<\/p>\n \n\tSet up at Riyadh media giant MBC Group and acquired by Vertical, the movie has suffered bruising headlines based on its performance in the U.S., where it had grossed $596,000 on 1,010 screens as of Thursday, and been billed as one of the biggest box office flops in history.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tVertical\u2019s marketing has unsurprisingly spotlighted Mackie, Kingsley, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes<\/em> director Rupert Wyatt\u2019s spectacular shots of Saudi sands, but cinemagoers have ultimately not responded to Desert Warrior<\/em>\u2019s rallying cry, and it looks unlikely to recoup its $150M budget.<\/p>\n \n\tNot that expectations were ever that high. Those close to Desert Warrior<\/em> were realistic about the movie\u2019s appeal, particularly at a time when war is raging in the Middle East. There had been hopes Desert Warrior <\/em>could crack $1M in America, but even so, it\u2019s far from a disaster for Vertical.<\/p>\n \n