Los Angeles Times

Hollywood rolls out red carpet for Saudi Arabia's crown prince, hoping to cash in on new market

LOS ANGELES_Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old crown prince of Saudi Arabia, is sure to be treated like a movie star when his tour of the United States comes to Los Angeles this week.

The royal heir apparent, who learned English by watching films as a child, is expected to dine at producer Brian Grazer's Santa Monica home, attend an event at Rupert Murdoch's Bel Air estate and meet with show business power players, including talent agency boss Ari Emanuel and Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Bob Iger.

Mohammed's trip to Los Angeles - part of a coast-to-coast American tour marked by meetings with President Donald Trump and Silicon Valley bigwigs - has elicited excited curiosity among entertainment industry executives who see the desert kingdom as a lucrative new market for movies - and a potential source of much-needed financing. Hollywood's biggest foreign financial partner, China, has mostly stopped writing

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