RIYADH: A year after the ban on cinemas was lifted, Saudi Arabian port city of Jeddah has its first cinema opened on Monday evening, which took the total number of movie theatres in the country to six.
Shows at these theatres are most often sold-out, according to the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM), the government body charged with developing and regulating the audiovisual industry for the kingdom.
“About 59,000 people watch movies in these halls [theatres] each month of which 77 per cent are families,” GCAM said, adding, “These halls bring all kinds of Arabic and western blockbusters.”
Vox, the Dubai-based exhibition outfit, expanded into Jeddah on Monday, opening a major 12-screen venue in the port city’s Red Sea Mall, the most popular shopping destination in the western region, which is expected to raise the number of moviegoers in the kingdom.
As was predicted, the return of cinemas to Saudi Arabia has proven to be a huge success with both families and single moviegoers.
In addition to Vox, other exhibitors to enter the Saudi exhibition sector include the US-based AMC and the Saudi Al Rashed Empire Cinema Consortium.
“People in this place are always looking for entertainment options. We are really thrilled to have multiplex at this mall,” said Ahmed Alhajj, 29, resident of the city.
“You don’t have to really make a plan in advance to watch a movie. One can decide at the spur of the moment while taking a stroll in the mall,” Alhajj added.
The Vox multiplex in Jeddah has 12 screens, of which three are “gold luxury” venues, the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, providing ultra-luxurious amenities for those opting to pay a premium on tickets.
“Movie halls are a big addition to the quality of life for the people of this country,” said Jumana, 32, a single mother from Riyadh.
“Currently, people have limited entertainment options here, but that is definitely changing with a lot of musical concerts and other activities being thrown into the entertainment mix of late.” she added.
In November last year, a research conducted by PwC Middle East estimated that the total cinema revenue in Saudi Arabia would reach $1.5 billion by 2030.
The forecast expected the kingdom to host 2,600 cinema screens based on a projected 2030 population of 39.5 million. The consultancy also expected Saudi Arabia to open cinemas in up to 370 locations by 2030.
In April last year, the doors opened in the capital Riyadh after 35 years of a ban on cinema theatres in the country. The lifting of the ban is part of Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy away from oil with the development of new industries such as entertainment.
Saudi Arabia has charted a future with some radical breaks from its restrictive past where its economic growth is no longer driven by oil revenues, but by a new model of infrastructure financing based on public-private partnership, entertainment, non-oil exports and so on.
