Marvel's Black Panther will reopen Saudi Arabian cinemas after a 35-year absence with a gala performance on April 18, The National has learned.
The screening will take place in AMC Entertainment’s - and the Kingdom's - first cinema to open since the laws on public cinemas were relaxed in December.
The building in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District was originally intended as a concert hall. It contains about 600 leather seats, orchestra and balcony levels and marble bathrooms.
AMC plans to build another 40 cinemas in the country over the next five years, with other cinema chains, including the UAE-based Vox cinemas, also eagerly eyeing the lucrative new market of 32 million new pairs of eyes.
The liberalisation of cinemas is just one part of an ongoing transformation process undertaken by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he attempts to prepare Saudi society and economy for the eventual end of oil revenues.
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Read more:
First Saudi cinemas to open by late 2018
Saudi Arabia’s first cinema in 35 years to open this month
How Saudis will stay at home by going out to the cinema
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Black Panther has already taken over $1.2 billion at the global box office, with the potential for the Kingdom to add a significant chunk to that total. Analysts predict that Saudi Arabia could ultimately produce over $1bn a year in cinema revenue, making it one of the world's top 10 markets.
Marvel were out in force at Dubai’s Middle East Film & Comic Con this weekend, however nobody on their stand was able to comment on the latest news.
A representative said that parent company Disney hoped to make an official statement later today. Italia Film, who distribute Disney’s movies in Gulf Theatres, were unreachable for comment.
The Washington Post's global opinions editor Karen Attiah tweeted that it was "amazing" that a movie celebrating "blackness and African royalty" had been chosen to be the first shown in Saudi cinemas in 35 years.
Look: Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
More from Aya Iskandarani
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
