The inaugural screening of Black Panther in the theatre was attended by foreign dignitaries, senior officials from the Saudi government and some industry figures.
After a 40-year-old ban on cinema, Saudi Arabia opened its first commercial theatre on Wednesday and the first screening was the superhit Marvel movie, Black Panther. This was one of the many reforms the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is trying to bring into Saudi’s economy, by opening it further to the world.
Ordinary citizens will still have to wait to catch a film since, for this month, people can attend the screenings in Riyadh’s only theatre, strictly by invitation. Public openings can be expected in May, AMC Entertainment Holdings told Reuters.
The inaugural screening of Black Panther in the theatre was attended by foreign dignitaries, senior officials from the Saudi government and some industry figures.
This screening was only a trial run; a symphony hall in the capital was fixed up with a screen to be able to meet the date for the screening, which was announced two weeks before the screening.
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Around 350 cinemas will be set up with more than 2,500 screens by 2030, from which they hope to earn USD 1 billion through ticket sale.
The report says there would be no gender segregation in the theatres like many other public places in the kingdom, but censorship of the films screened is not clear as of now.
Even though only a few people have access to the cinemas right now, this is still a massive step in opening up Saudi citizens to the world and what it has to offer. Theatres or not, Saudi natives have been avid audiences of western cinemas and media, in general.
The Crown Prince has earned a lot of praise and cheer on social media after he made this announcement.
Films were banned in the kingdom in the early 1980s, when Islamists put pressure, turning Saudi towards severe forms of religion.
(With inputs from Reuters)