Saudi Arabia opens first cinema in 35 years

riyad - Film lovers can watch the cinema in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 35 years. The Islamic kingdom has signed an agreement with American company AMC Entertainment to open forty film houses in five years.

The first opens April 18 all the doors in the capital Riyadh. Men and women are not separated in the halls, as is the case in many other public places in the conservative country. The superhero movie Black Panther is said to be the first film to be seen on the Saudi screens.

Saudi Arabia had several film houses until the 1980s. These were closed by the government at a time when conservative Islam gained more and more influence in the kingdom.

The return of cinema is part of ambitious economic and social reforms, known as Vision 2030. The main goal is to make the economy less dependent on oil. It is also accompanied by a modernization of the country.

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