20 Recent Movies That Were Sent Out To Die
4. Desert Warrior
The most noteworthy aspect of the Anthony Mackie-starring historical action film Desert Warrior is that the $150 million blockbuster is the most expensive film ever produced in Saudi Arabia, and was designed to revitalise interest in the region's film industry.
It wrapped shooting all the way back in February 2022, after which it went through roughly two years of post-production before producers sought out buyers and a splashy festival premiere.
Neither materialised, and to make matters worse, director Rupert Wyatt briefly quit the film in late 2024 due to "creative differences," before being enticed to return.
Desert Warrior finally premiered at the Zurich Film Festival in late 2025 to little impact, and was then released by Vertical in April, where it grossed less than $1 million worldwide, following a historically awful opening weekend which ranks among the worst in history for a major movie.
When a film spends this long on the bench before coming out, during which time its own director tries to quit, the writing is well and truly on the wall.