DUBAI: Saudi Arabia said on Monday that public cinemas would be allowed in the conservative kingdom for the first time in over 35 years and that the first ones were likely to open next March.
Cinemas were banned in the early 1980s under pressure from Islamists as Saudi society turned towards a restrictive form of the religion that discouraged public entertainment and many forms of mixing between men and women.
Under reforms led by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the government is easing many of those restrictions and also plans to lift a ban on women driving next year. It says the economy, hit hard by low oil prices, will benefit from the growth of an entertainment industry.
“Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification,” said Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad. “By developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enrich the Kingdom’s entertainment options.”
By 2030, Saudi Arabia is expected to open over 300 cinemas with more than 2,000 screens, a government statement said, predicting the cinema industry would contribute over 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy and create 30,000 permanent jobs by 2030.
Regional cinema chain operators are already believed to be studying entry into Saudi Arabia, industry sources said.
A commission chaired by Alawwad will announce details of licensing and regulations over the next few weeks, the government said.
“As the industry regulator, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media has started the process for licensing cinemas in the Kingdom,” Alawwad said in a statement. He added that the first cinemas are expected to open in March 2018.
Earlier, former chairman of the Saudi Cinema Committee Fahd al Tamimi stated that cinemas will be opened before the end of 2017. He stressed that there is nothing in the Ministry of Culture and Information laws that prevent cinema halls.
The kingdom had some cinemas in the 1970s that are still banned but concerts have already started taking place across the country. The government has promised a shake-up of the cultural scene with a set of Vision 2030 reforms. The Boston Consulting Group has been commissioned to identify venues like parks and theatres for the kingdom to develop through a mix of government funding and private sector investment.
The kingdom’s most ambitious leisure project to date is a giant entertainment city being planned for outside the capital Riyadh, which would aim to draw regional visitors with resorts, golf courses, car racing tracks and a Six Flags theme park.
