On Monday, the first-ever cinema theater opened its doors to audiences in the Saudi city of Jeddah, Arab News reported.

The opening of VOX Cinemas in the city's Red Sea Mall comes months after the kingdom ended its long-standing ban on cinemas in the country.

Speaking at an event celebrating the launch, Cameron Mitchell, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas, expressed his high hopes for the movie-going industry in the kingdom.

"If you look at Dubai we have some 15 million customers there per annum. On the short-term goal in Saudi Arabia we are expecting the market to reach about 30 million customers," he explained.