Saudi Arabia has confirmed it is opening up the country’s first cinema hall open to the public in its capital Riyadh on April 18.

The Saudi Ministry of Information confirmed that 350 cinema theatres with 2,500 screens are expected to be open across several Saudi cities by 2030.

40 cinemas in 15 cities within five years

Saudi Arabia has announced that it will open 40 cinemas in 15 Saudi cities over the next five years as part of plans to develop the entertainment sector in the Kingdom.

The General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday the signing of an agreement with AMC, the first company to obtain a license to operate cinemas in the Kingdom.

The granting of the license was announced on the sidelines of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the city of Los Angeles in the United States.

AMC has the largest movie market in the United States and is the world's largest cinema chain with more than 2,200 screens, 244 theaters in Europe alone, and more than 8,200 screens in 661 theaters in America.

Saudi Arabia has taken steps to open up the entertainment sector and develop investment in it by signing an agreement with Six Flags to develop recreational parks, as well as to announce the project "Al Qadeya", the largest cultural, sporting and entertainment city in Saudi Arabia.

Among the most important Saudi entertainment sector developments, the decision is set to make cinemas available in the Kingdom with expected presence from the UAE’s VOX Cinemas, Vu the British chain, the American AMC and the Canadian IMAX.

Plans have also been announced of investing $64 billion in the Saudi entertainment sector over the next 10 years, as well as allowing women to attend concerts and setting up 5,000 recreational events in 2018.

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:53 - GMT 06:53