Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Saudi Arabia ends 35-year ban on movie theaters

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-11-2017, 08:17 AM:

quote: Daily Mail
Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted a decades-long ban on cinemas, part of a series of social reforms by the powerful crown prince that are shaking up the ultra-conservative kingdom.

'Commercial cinemas will be allowed to operate in the kingdom as of early 2018, for the first time in more than 35 years,' the culture and information ministry said in a statement, adding that the government will begin licensing cinemas immediately.

Reviving cinemas would represent a paradigm shift in the kingdom, which is promoting entertainment as part of a sweeping reform plan dubbed 'Vision 2030', despite opposition from conservatives.

'This marks a watershed moment in the development of the cultural economy in the kingdom,' information minister Awwad Alawwad said in the statement.

Hardliners, who see cinemas as a threat to cultural and religious identity, were instrumental in shutting them down in the 1980s.

Saudi Arabia's highest-ranking cleric warned in January of the 'depravity' of cinemas, saying they would corrupt morals.

But authorities appear to be shrugging off the threat.

Saudi filmmakers have long argued that a ban on cinemas does not make sense in the age of YouTube.

Saudi films have been making waves abroad, using the internet to circumvent distribution channels and sometimes the stern gaze of state censors.

Interesting - they must have been one of very few nations in the world to have had a total ban. As a general rule, totalitarian societies and dictators tend to like movie theaters, because it's relatively easy to control what is played in them, compared to other kinds of media.

Given that very few movies are likely to pass the censors there (and, I'm guessing, almost no Hollywood ones), I wouldn't have thought that the business will grow very quickly. But still, it's a small piece of good news after a pretty dire summer for the industry.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 12-11-2017, 08:55 AM:

There is an IMAX theatre in Khobar, but as one would expect, it was only showing 'educational' titles so far.

- Carsten

Posted by Alexandre Pereira (Member # 9295) on 12-11-2017, 02:36 PM:

Educational films like how to be a moderate head chopper.

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 12-11-2017, 06:20 PM:

Well, they also ended the ban on women driving a car... And one of their princes bought a $450M DaVinci painting featuring Christ.

So, there's definitely something afoot in the region. I guess they took a quick look at Dubai and Abu Dhabi and are now struck with the fear of missing out.