Marvel's superhero blockbuster 'Black Panther' will mark the end of a nearly three-decade ban on cinema in Saudi Arabia. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the first cinema, in more than 35-years, opened in Riyadh on April 18.
The screening took place at the first AMC-branded cinema, which was announced on Wednesday.
The 620-seater theatre is the first of hundreds of cinemas planned to open in the next decade.
The ban was put in place during the Eighties under Islamists who opposed the public mixing of men and women and public entertainment.
Tickets will go on sale on Thursday for the first public viewings on Friday, according to Adam Aron, chief executive of operator AMC Entertainment Holdings.
"Saudis now are going to be able to go to a beautiful theatre and watch movies the way they're supposed to be watched: on a big screen," he told Reuters ahead of the screening.
Confetti rained down through the multi-storey atrium as he and the Saudi information minister announced the official launch of the theatre and proceeded into the 450-seat movie hall.
The opening marks another milestone for reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to open the country culturally and diversify the economy. Saudi Arabia is the world's top oil exporter.
The prince, 32, has already eased restrictions in the last two years including on public concerts, women driving and gender mixing.
