By 2030, there are projected to be around 300 cinemas with more than 2,000 screens, estimated to create more than 30,000 jobs.
Saudi Arabia has announced it will allow movie theaters to open in the conservative kingdom next year, for the first time in more than 35 years.
Minister of Culture and Information Awwad bin Saleh Alawwad said today: Opening cinemas will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification; by developing the broader cultural sector we will create new employment and training opportunities, as well as enriching the Kingdoms entertainment options. The first movie theatres are likely to open in March 2018, according to local media reports.
The initiative falls within the Vision 2030 programme spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al-Saud.
Saudis earlier cinemas were shuttered in 1982 after clerics persuaded the government to do so. The government has in the recent past backed a Saudi film festival that takes place in the eastern city of Dhahran. This year, a reported 60 Saudi films were screened.
Saudi Arabias board of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media passed a resolution allowing the authority to grant licenses to cinemas. Alawwad added, This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the Kingdom. By 2030, there are projected to be over 300 cinemas with more than 2,000 screens.
The Saudi government says the opening of movie theaters will contribute more than 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy and create more than 30,000 jobs by 2030.
