Saudi Arabia to end 35-year cinema ban with Black Panther

Movie theatres will not be segregated by gender like mostother public places in the deeply conservative Muslim kingdom and the first screening will be Marvel's superhero movie BlackPanther,a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

According to industry outlet Hollywood Reporter, Black Panther will swiftly be followed by Avengers: Infinity War, which will debut in Riyadh on April 26.

Saudi Arabia had some cinemas in the 1970s but its powerfulclerics closed them, reflecting rising Islamist influencethroughout the Arab region at the time.

In 2017, the government said it would lift the ban as partof ambitious economic and social reforms pushed by Crown PrinceMohammed bin Salman.

He is currently touring the United Statesseeking investments to help broaden the economy and lessen itsdependence on oil.

Saudi Arabians are avid consumers of Western media andculture. Despite the cinema ban, Hollywood films and recenttelevision series are widely watched at home and discussed.

Leather seats, marble bathrooms

AMC's first cinema will be located in the King AbdullahFinancial District in a building originally intended to be asymphony concert hall, AMC Chief Executive Adam Aron said in aninterview.

The main theatre will have 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 inthe world.- AdamAron,AMCchief executive

"We think it's going to be the prettiest movie theatre inthe world," Aron said. "It's a dramatic building."

To serve a population of more than 32 million, most of whomare under the age of 30, Saudi Arabia wants to set up around 350cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030, which it hopes willattract nearly $1 billion US in annual ticket sales.

"The restoration of cinemas will ... help boost the localeconomy by increasing household spending on entertainment whilesupporting job creation in the Kingdom," Culture and InformationMinister Awwad Alawwad said in a statement.

AMC is partnering with the Public Investment Fund (PIF),Saudi Arabia's main sovereign wealth fund.

A handful of other theatre operators are ready to build inSaudi Arabia if they win clearance, John Fithian, president ofthe U.S.-based National Association of Theatre Owners, toldreporters.

Most Hollywood films expected to screen

Fithian said he met government officials in Riyadh inDecember to work out issues such as what type of material wouldbe permitted on movie screens. He said he believes mostHollywood movies will be allowed, though some will requireediting.

AMC's Aron said he expects the same versions of films shownin Dubai or Kuwait will be suitable for Saudi Arabia.

"Hollywoodhas long ago dealt with the sensitivities of the Middle East andhave adjusted film product accordingly," he said.

"MajorHollywood studios are showing films all over the Middle East."

Separately, Six Flags Entertainment said it plannedto develop a theme park in Riyadh with PIF. Cirquedu Soleil will stage its first performance in the country onSept. 23, according to a statement from the GeneralEntertainment Authority.

The GEA also said it reached a deal for other live showssuch as Disney on Ice.