Saudi Arabia: First cinema in 35 years to open today

Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in more than 35 years will open today in Riyadh, the capital, the authorities saidafter agreeing with AMC Entertainment Holdings to open up to 40 theatres over the next five years.

The deeply conservative Muslim kingdom had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerful clerics managed to force them to close.

The move to reopen cinemas is part of a modernization drive by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seeking to boost domestic spending in an era of low oil prices.

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Movie theatres will not be segregated by gender like most other public places in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabians are avid consumers of Western media and culture. Despite the cinema ban, Hollywood films and recent television series are widely watched at home and discussed.

To serve a population of more than 32 million, the majority of whom are under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia wants to set up around 350 movie theatres with more than 2,500 screens by 2030, which it hopes will attract nearly $1 billion in annual box office sales.

(With inputs from Agencies)