First cinema in Saudi Arabia to open on April 18

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in nearly 40 years will open on April 18 in the capital Riyadh, state media said on Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement earlier in the day with AMC to open 30 to 40 cinemas in about 15 Saudi cities over the next five years.

Saudi had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics managed to close them, reflecting rising Islamist influence throughout the Arab region at the time.