In January 2018, which was the first movie shown in a theater in Saudi Arabia after the 35-year ban was lifted?

After a 35-year ban of movies being shown in theaters was lifted on Dec. 11, 2017 in Saudi Arabia, the animated film "The Emoji Movie" was screened.

Cinemas had been banned in Saudi Arabia in 1982 because conservative Islamic leaders wanted to discourage leisure and entertainment activities that would encourage men and women to mingle in public. The leaders viewed these activities as corruptive influences to the culture.

The cinema push is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's so-called Vision 2030, an ambitious package of social-economic reforms to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and return the kingdom to "moderate Islam".

Films will be censored to adhere to the "moral values" of the kingdom — exactly what these censored films look like remains to be seen.

The removal of the ban was discouraged by the head of Saudi Arabia's religious authority, the grand mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh.

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8 Comments

William Laughlin

Imposing extreme religious standards on the population makes them a repressive regime.

Richard D. Boyle

The answer is technically correct although Black Panther was the first film “properly screened” according to the Saudis.

Al Breyette

It was the Black Panther

Leapy Lee

This question should not have been accepted in the first place, given the “evidence” it relied upon was written months before the event. All references I’ve seen say the first movie shown was Black Panther

Julie Allen

Well 1st we have - On Sunday (January 15 2018), citizens in the city of Jeddah watched the first movie to be shown since the ban was lifted on December 11, 2017 in a makeshift tent, with the film screened on a projector, the first film to be shown was The Emoji Movie. Then we have - Black Panther will be the first movie to screen in Saudi Arabia’s new public movie theaters. The film premieres April 18 2018. It seems neither is correct. The Emoji Movie was on the correct date but in a tent, Black Panther was in a theatre but on the wrong date