Cinepolis, world's fourth largest cinema chain, announces six new cinemas for Saudi Arabia

The first unit in Dammam will open before the end of this year

Cinepolis's first Middle Eastern branch opend in Bahrain. Saudi Arabia's first branch will open before the end of 2019. Cinepolis

Mexican cinema chain Cinepolis, the largest cinema exhibitor in Latin America and fourth largest in the world, has announced plans for six new movie theatres in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The six cinemas will be rolled out across Saudi over the next two years, with the first due to open in Lulu Mall, Dammam, at the end of this year, four scheduled for 2020 and the sixth for 2021. Cinepolis is the fourth chain to be granted an Exhibitor License for Cinema Operation by the Saudi General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM). It opened its first Middle Eastern cinema in Bahrain in January this year.

A spokesperson from Cinepolis Gulf said: "Cinepolis's launch into the Saudi Arabian entertainment market is a key milestone in our expansion strategy over the next five years."

Cinepolis's new auditoria will include its Luxury and Premium options, Macro XE with big-screen and Dolby Atmos sound, 4D Emotion screens, and kid-friendly Cinepolis Junior theatres, featuring a jungle gym, slide and ball pool for the ultimate cinema experience. All locations will also feature the usual cinema snacks, from popcorn to pizza, as well as dedicated baristas at the in-house coffee shop Coffee Tree.

The new openings will also include Al Hokair Time in Jazan, Obhour Mall in Jeddah, Cordoba Mall in Riyadh, Najran City Center and Al Massarh Mall, with a total of 63 screens across all six locations.

Saudi Arabia is expected to have an annual box office of close to a billion dollars by 2030, which would see the country close to entering the top ten cinema markets in the world.