Saudi arabia lifts 35 year ban cinemas

A significant development!

Yes, you're correct. Saudi Arabia has lifted its 35-year ban on cinemas, allowing movie theaters to reopen in the country for the first time since 1983.

The decision was announced in December 2017, as part of a broader effort to modernize and liberalize the country's economy and society. The ban was seen as a relic of the country's strict Islamic conservatism, which had been enforced since the 1980s.

The first cinema to reopen was the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, which hosted a screening of the Marvel movie "Black Panther" in April 2018. Since then, several other cinemas have opened across the country, including in Jeddah, Mecca, and Dammam.

The reopening of cinemas is seen as a significant step towards promoting entertainment and leisure activities in Saudi Arabia, which had previously been limited to traditional forms of entertainment such as music concerts, theater performances, and sports events.

The move is also expected to boost the country's economy, as the cinema industry is expected to create thousands of jobs and attract foreign investment.

However, the reopening of cinemas has also raised concerns about the impact on traditional forms of entertainment and the potential for Western cultural influences to seep into Saudi society.

Overall, the lifting of the ban on cinemas is a significant development in Saudi Arabia's efforts to modernize and open up to the world, and it will be interesting to see how the country's entertainment landscape evolves in the coming years.