Black Panther will be the first film to be shown in Saudi Arabia after a 35-year cinema ban
After the country's 35-year ban, "Black Panther" will be the first movie publicly screened in Saudia Arabia. Image: REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
Marvel's "Black Panther" will notch another historic milestone this month, as it is set to become the first movie to be publicly screened in Saudia Arabia following an end to the country's 35-year ban on cinema.
Variety reported that Disney and Italia Film, the studio's Middle East distribution partner, will release "Black Panther" on April 18 at the country's new AMC-branded theater in Riyadh, the first theater to open since the country lifted the ban in December 2017.
Saudia Arabia's conservative clerics instituted the ban on cinema in the early 1980s. In December, the country's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman lifted the ban as part of a push for social and economic reform.
According to Variety, AMC Entertainment plans to open 40 cinemas in Saudi Arabia in the next five years, and up to 100 theaters in the country by the year 2030.
"Black Panther" entered the top 10 of the highest-grossing films of all time at the worldwide box office this week. Its success has been bolstered by a surprisingly strong showing in international markets like China.
Don't miss any update on this topic
Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.
License and Republishing
World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.
Stay up to date:
Middle East and North Africa
Related topics:
The Agenda Weekly
A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.
