Cinema makes return to Saudi Arabia
(Artdaily.org)

Saudi Arabia hosted its first public film screening in over 35 years on Friday, two days after US movie giant AMC unveiled the kingdom`s debut theatre in Riyadh. Clutching prized tickets for the sold-out showing of Hollywood blockbuster action film `Black Panther`, men and women walked into the movie hall with tubs of popcorn and fizzy drinks. AMC chief executive Adam Aron on Wednesday said its multiplex theatre at Riyadh`s King Abdullah Financial District will for now operate one screen with a seating capacity of around 250. He said plans were afoot for three more screens in the coming months. The conservative desert kingdom lifted a decades-long ban on cinemas last year as part of a far-reaching modernisation drive, with AMC Entertainment granted the first licence to operate movie theatres. Religious hardliners, who have long vilified