Black Panther is to become the first film shown in Saudi Arabian cinemas in 35 years when the Gulf state reverses a ban on theatres next month.

According to reports, the Marvel blockbuster will receive a gala premiere in Riyadh on 18 April as part of a deal done by US theatre chain AMC that will see 40 cinemas open in Saudi cities over the next five years.

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



In 2017, the government said it would lift the ban as part of ambitious economic and social reforms pushed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He is currently touring the US seeking investments to broaden the economy and lessen its dependence on oil.

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

AMC’s first cinema will be located in the King Abdullah financial district in a building originally intended to be a symphony concert hall, AMC chief executive Adam Aron said. The main theatre will feature about 500 leather seats, orchestra and balcony levels and marble bathrooms, he said. Three more screens will be added by mid-summer.

“We think it’s going to be the prettiest movie theatre in the world,” Aron said. “It’s a dramatic building.”

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

“The restoration of cinemas will ... help boost the local economy by increasing household spending on entertainment while supporting job creation” culture minister Awwad Alawwad said.

Aron said he expects the same versions of films shown in countries such as Dubai or Kuwait will be suitable for Saudi Arabia. “Hollywood has long ago dealt with the sensitivities of the Middle East and have adjusted film product accordingly,” he said.





