While Black Panther has been breaking records and racking up accomplishments left and right, Marvel's latest smash hit will now be given a special kind of honor, as it will be the first film to be officially screened in Saudi Arabia since cinemas were banned there over three decades ago.
According to Complex, the film is set to be premiered on April 18, in a new AMC movie theater in Riyadh. Formerly a concert hall, the theater is going to be luxurious affair with over 600 leather seats and balconies.
The arrival of Black Panther follows Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ending the ban last year, as part of his plan to bring reform to Saudi Arabian society. The Middle Eastern country banned movie theaters back in the 80's, following a wave of ultra-conservative religious laws passed by their government.
Technically, Black Panther isn't the first film to be shown post-ban, that honor actually belongs to The Emoji Movie. However, The Emoji Movie was shown on a projector in a makeshift theater, due to the lack of official movie theaters in Saudi Arabia immediately following the ban. So Black Panther get to claim the honor of being the first official movie screening in over 30 years, and frankly, is a much better movie to begin with.
AMC states that it has plans to open at least 40 cinemas in Saudi Arabia over the next five years and 100 by 2030.
While the Saudis are free to go see a movie, they're still going to be limited in their selection, as any films screen there will have to be censored for "moral values"
