Saudi women attend the 'Short Film Competition 2' festival, a precursor to the expected lift on the kingdom's ban on cinemas.

Saudi Arabia has said it will lift a ban on public cinemas that has been in place for more than three decades.

The Ministry of Culture and Information for Saudi Arabia said in a statement Monday that, after a hiatus of 35 years, it will begin licensing cinemas immediately.

The first movie theaters are set to open in March, with plans to have more than 2,000 screens up and running by 2030.

Religious hardliners forced the closure of cinemas in the 1980s, claiming they were a threat to Saudi religious identity.

The kingdom's culture ministry said the move was another strand of its "Vision 2030" social and economic reform plan for the country that is being pushed through by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.