‘Black Panther’ Premiere Set to Break Saudi Arabia’s 35 Year Long Cinema Ban

The globally acclaimed and Box Office record breaking blockbuster movie, Black Panther is set to end Saudi Arabia’s 35-year-long cinema ban, as it premieres in the Arabian country.

The Marvel superhero film will premiere in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh on April 18 courtesy of Disney and its Middle East distribution partner, Italia Film in the new state of the art AMC theater.

The screening of Black Panther will mark the first time a film has been publicly shown in a theater since cinemas were banned in the early 1980s because of ultraconservative religious standards.

Many of the cinemas in Saudi Arabia were shuttered three decades ago when the the country introduced stringent religious laws. But in December last year, the long ban was removed by 32-year-old Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of his move to ease the conservative laws including the recent rescinding of a law banning women from driving cars.

Working with AMC Entertainment, some 40 cinemas are expected to be open across the kingdom within five years, with up to 100 theaters existing by 2030 with an aim of creating about 30,000 jobs.

The new cinema where Black Panther will be screened will indeed be a luxurious one, constructed in a building that was meant to be a symphony concert hall, with more than 600 leather seats and marble bathrooms.

Since opening in February, Black Panther has earned over USD 1.2 billion in global sales, making it the tenth highest-grossing film in history, according to Box Office Mojo. It also became the most-tweeted about film ever, racking up 35 million mentions, according to the Associated Press.