By Timour Azhari and Mohammed Benmansour
RIYADH (Reuters) -Cristiano Ronaldo. Naomi Campbell. Sofia Vergara.
And the latest celebrity brought to Saudi Arabia in the kingdom’s push to become a global entertainment destination: MrBeast, the most popular YouTuber on the planet.
The online sensation hit 100 billion views this month and is in Riyadh to launch Beast Land, a theme park modelled on his videos that put people through elaborate endurance challenges to win large cash prizes.
“It’s probably one of the best days of my life,” the 27-year-old, whose real name is James Donaldson, told Reuters ahead of the launch on Thursday, in one of at least nine interviews conducted as part of his Saudi PR blitz.
“One of the top requests I get is: I want to be in a MrBeast video… So now (we are) creating that in real life where you guys can come visit it and experience what it is like,” he said.
CHANGING TIMES IN ONCE ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE KINGDOM
Over the past decade, once ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia has rapidly developed entertainment options as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 to diversify the country away from oil and transform society.
Young Saudis grew up with few avenues for fun, with cinemas and concerts effectively banned. Outsiders saw the kingdom as stuck in time. Both perceptions have shifted.
The Saudi capital is now the scene of Riyadh Season, running almost half the year with near-daily events from boxing and slap contests to house music parties and sports competitions.
Lit up in neon-blue, Beast Land combines theme park attractions like rollercoasters with Donaldson’s American Gladiator-style challenges, such as a game where the last player to slap a button when it lights up falls to cushioned doom.
Donaldson says 70% of his fans are outside the U.S. and Saudi Arabia was also a natural choice due to easily accessible studio space to film his latest season of videos.
“I’d say give it a try, it’s much more developed than you’d think,” he said.
The kingdom has been known to attract international talent with massive compensation: Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr is estimated to be worth more than $200 million.
MrBeast has at times stirred controversy, with Mexico in May filing suit against a firm they say worked with him after he produced a video at the nation’s ancient Maya pyramids.
(Reporting by Timour Azhari Editing by Alex Richardson)
