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First movie theatre opens in Saudi Arabia in 35 years


Sheetal Sukhija
18 Apr 2018

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - In a moment set to go down in history, a public cinema will open in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening, for the first time in 35 years.

On April 18, 2018, at about 9 pm in Riyadh, around 600 guests will sit down in a refitted conference hall in the King Abdullah Financial District as the big screens showcase the major cultural landmark, the Marvel superhero blockbuster - Black Panther. 

After 40 seconds of the film was cut by local censors, Black Panther will become the first movie to open in the Kingdom’s first theatre to open there in 35 years. 

In December, Saudi Arabia lifted its decades-long cinema ban, a move announced by Awwad Alawwad, Saudi's minister of culture and information.

Alawwad will be attending the event alongside Adam Aron, CEO of AMC Entertainment. 

AMC Entertainment, which is the largest theatrical exhibitor in the world with approximately 1,000 theaters and 11,000 screens across the globe, won the first licence to operate movie theaters in the kingdom and runs the Riyadh cinema.

Aron said that the opening of the theater was historic day for the movie industry and Saudi Arabia.

He added, "This is quite a historic day in the country of Saudi Arabia, and AMC received the first license to operate movie theaters in this country two weeks ago, and we open tonight. We heard that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia was thinking about lifting its ban on movie theaters, and we rushed in.”

The company is planning to open up to 40 cinemas in 15 cities in Saudi Arabia over the next five years, and a total of 50-100 cinemas in approximately 25 Saudi cities by 2030.

The first screening, which will involve a strict schedule including socializing, networking, prayer, a ribbon cutting and then the inauguration - will also witness the attendance of several diplomats, industry experts and others.

Aron said, “We think there is enormous pent-up demand to go and see a movie in a theater, to watch movies the way they're supposed to be seen, on the big screen. Saudis see movies right now, they love movies, but they watch them at home, they stream them, or they travel outside the kingdom to see movies.”

He further explained that the popularity of "Black Panther" in the United States informed the company's decision to make it the debut movie for Riyadh on Wednesday evening.

Adding that the Saudi government had already approved films to follow "Black Panther," including "Rampage" and an approved a cut of "The Avengers."

Meanwhile, apart from the historic screening on Wednesday - a liberalization move for the Kingdom, the newly-formed Saudi Film Council is set to attend the Cannes Film Festival, where Saudi will have its first pavilion and showcase several local shorts. 

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