Saudi Arabia opens movie theater with 'Black Panther'
April 18, 2018
Reforms in Saudi Arabia taking place under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman include lifting a 35-year ban on cinemas in the desert nation. A showing of "Black Panther" is scheduled for a test screening in Riyadh.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Marvel Studios
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For the first time since officials lifted a 35-year ban on cinemas in Saudi Arabia last year as part of a modernization drive in the highly conservative kingdom, a cinema will open for a test screening Wednesday in Riyadh. Movie theaters are set to open to the larger public next month.
Selected for the special occasion is theUS blockbuster "Black Panther," a super hero story following characters in the fictionalized African nation of Wakanda which has been smashing box office records since its release two months ago.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has visited several Western nations recently as part of his reforms movementImage: picture alliance/abaca/Balkis Press
Only a test
"It will be the first in a series of test screenings," the information ministry's Center for International Communication told AFP news agency. The screening at the new cinema in the King Abdullah Financial District will be attended by industry specialists in advance of the movie theater opening to the general public in May. Among attendees is Adam Aron, chief executive of AMC Entertainment, which granted the "Black Panther" license.
The cinema is the first of an anticipated 40 cinemas to open 15 cities across the Middle Eastern kingdom over the next five years. International theater chains have long eyed the country as an ideal place for expansion, with its population of 30 million people, a majority of whom are under the age of 25.
At the moment, Saudis splurge on visits to neighboring tourist hubs like Dubai, where they see films and visit amusement parks while on holiday.
The move to re-open theaters comes as part of a reform package by the kingdom's 32-year-old leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is likewise said to be behind the reforms that will see women driving in the country next June — a practice previously banned — as he has vowed the nation will return to "moderate Islam."
The cinemas, along with added spending on festivals and concerts, are being opened as bin Salman seeks to balance unpopular subsidy cuts in an era of low oil prices with more entertainment options — despite opposition from religious hardliners.
Saudi Arabia: Reforms or just power games?
Dozens of princes and former ministers have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption. Could Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman be cementing his control by undermining potential rivals?
Image: Reuters/M. al-Sayaghi
Formation of an anti-corruption committee
Dozens of princes, former ministers and prominent businessmen have been detained across Saudi Arabia in an unprecedented anti-corruption campaign. The arrests happened after King Salman ordered the creation of an anti-corruption committee, headed by his son, Crown Prince Mohammed.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/B. Press
Reforming the country or silencing potential rivals?
The newly formed committee possesses wide ranging powers, including the ability to issue arrest warrants, freeze assets and impose travel bans. Saudi Arabia's crown prince has vowed to fight corruption in the world's top oil exporter. Thirty-two-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud is widely regarded as the driving force behind opening up the ultra-conservative country.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/N. Asfouri
One of Middle East’s richest in hot waters
One of the arrested, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, is a billionaire and business tycoon who has extensive investments in Western companies such as Twitter, Apple, Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, Citigroup, the Four Seasons hotel chains and the ride sharing service Lyft. One of the Middle East's richest persons, Prince Alwaleed, is also known for being one of the most outspoken Saudi royals.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Nureldine
'Homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted'
The detainees include ex-finance minister Ibrahim al-Assaf and former head of the royal court Khaled al-Tuwaijri. Three former state officials were also sacked earlier before being detained. "The homeland will not exist unless corruption is uprooted and the corrupt are held accountable," said a royal degree connected to the arrests.
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Too much happening too quickly
In other developments, the Saudi monarch removed the prominent prince in charge of the National Guard. The development followed the resignation of a close ally, Lebanon's prime minister Saad Hariri. These political developments further shake up Saudi Arabia and the greater Middle East as regional conflicts rage on the kingdom's borders.
