The Reception of Saudi Cinema: Between Meeting and Challenging Expectations

This study investigates the critical reception of Saudi cinema through Hans Robert Jauss’s concept of the “horizon of expectations,” examining whether selected films fulfill or challenge critics’ prior expectations. Drawing on reception theory and interpretation, it establishes a methodological distinction between fulfillment and disruption, requiring documented expectations before viewing and subsequent evidence of their transformation. The analysis covers three cases: critical responses to Wadjda, writings surrounding the screening of Menahi, and discussions of polarized audience evaluations following the reopening of Saudi cinemas, particularly regarding Naga, The Perfect Candidate, and Shabab Al Bomb. It also examines debates concerning the criteria for recognizing and evaluating Saudi films. The findings reveal considerable variation in critical standards, including a film’s ability to communicate a message internationally, the quality of its narrative plot, and the significance of its screening as a cultural event. However, the available critical texts do not provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate that any particular film fulfilled or disrupted an individual critic’s horizon of expectations. Nor do they conclusively establish the causes of polarized evaluations. The study thus highlights the methodological challenges of applying reception theory to Saudi cinematic criticism.