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 enriching 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.


www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/saudi-arabia-movie-theaters_us_5a2e5d23e4b073789f6b25c8?section=us_world-news


lalasticlala mynd44

at least, tourist will like this

They re going back to civilization......used to be a happening place b4 some elements turned it to something else......
Jubail Church is a 4th-century church building near Jubail, Saudi Arabia, discovered in 1986. It originally belonged to the Assyrian Church of the East, an ancient Nestorian branch of Eastern Christianity in the Middle East.
The Saudi government hides it from locals and even archaeologists as the Kingdom follows a strict version of Islamic law and prohibits all non-Islamic forms of worship. Recently, they have put a fence around the church to prevent potential tourists from seeing it. However, the fences have not stopped locals from coming in to vandalize and damage the building. Churches are officially banned in Saudi Arabia and a limited number of Christians, mostly westerners, are permitted to worship in private as long as no Christian symbols are openly visible...i hope one day they will allow a church again.
However day by day they re relaxing thier grip to enable them fit into the 21th century and welcome more investors and pple,they saw how well pple embraced U.A.E,QATAR,KUWAIT etc.........n some nigerian muslims re killing themselves,u better wake up.....

daft people