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Snapshot 5:Tue, Aug 25, 2026 10:19:35 AM GMT last edited by Harish Chander

Saudi Arabia to Build $7 Billion Theme Parks Near Paris

Saudi Arabia to Build $7B7 Billion Theme Parks Near Paris

Saudi Arabia to Build $7 Billion Theme Parks Near Paris
Above: **Watermarked Getty Image. Kindly Replace** French President Emmanuel Macron greets Saudi Arabia's crown prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Aug. 24, 2026. Image credit: Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The Spin


This $7 billion Saudi investment in three theme parks near Paris is a massive win for France, bringing 22,000 jobs to Cergy-Pontoise. Nothing at this scale has happened since Disneyland Paris opened, and a Dragon Ball-themed park is exactly the kind of bold, ambitious project France needs. This is what smart economic diplomacy looks like.

Saudi Arabia already tried this exact play in Cergy-Pontoise — Mirapolis opened in 1987 and went bankrupt within four years. Qiddiya doesn't have 6 billion euros on hand and would need to borrow at high interest rates for a venture with zero proven profitability. Signed agreements and press announcements aren't shovels in the ground.


Metaculus Prediction

There is a 75% chance Saudi Arabia will normalize relations with Israel by 2031 if Iran gets a nuclear bomb by then, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 7.4.1

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 7.4.1