Public cinemas

Cinemas are no longer banned in Saudi Arabia. Public cinemas were closed in the early 1980s, when conservative clerics gained more influence after 1979, and for about 35 years the kingdom had no public movie theatres. The ban was lifted in December 2017, and the first new cinema opened in Riyadh on 18 April 2018.

Why cinemas were shut

After 1979, Saudi Arabia adopted stricter religious standards in public life. Cinemas were seen as a source of moral corruption and mixing between men and women, and they disappeared. Saudis kept watching films at home on satellite TV, video and later streaming, and many travelled to Bahrain or Dubai to see new releases on a big screen.

The 2017 reversal

In December 2017, the government announced it would license cinemas again, as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s social and economic reform plan. In early April 2018, the culture and information ministry granted the first licence to the US chain AMC.

Black Panther breaks the ban

On 18 April 2018, AMC opened its first cinema in a converted concert hall in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, with a screening of Marvel’s Black Panther for invited guests. Public screenings followed two days later. As CNBC reported, AMC planned to open up to 40 cinemas in 15 Saudi cities within five years, and rivals such as VOX Cinemas soon won licences too.

What cinema-going looks like now

Cinemas are now common in major Saudi cities, and the first one opened without separating men and women. Films are still reviewed before release, and some scenes or titles do not make it to Saudi screens.

The cinema reopening came months before another big change, the end of the ban on women driving. For films blocked elsewhere, such as Eternals in China, see our banned movies list or the Saudi Arabia page.