More than 12m movie tickets sold in Saudi Arabia
The cinema sector is a fantastic form of entertainment and Saudis think no different. Hence, the revitalization of cultural and economic sectors in the Kingdom after decades of suspension became part of the initiatives of Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program in the Kingdom under the supervision of the General Authority for Audiovisual Media, according to Al-Riyadh newspaper.
The third anniversary of the launch of the sector has witnessed over the past years a quantum leap and valuable addition to the entertainment options available to the individuals and families in the KSA.
Many cinemas opened in 12 cities. In total, the success can be translated into 342 screens, more than 35 thousand seats, and licensed 11 companies specialized in operating theatre venues (nine international). The first cinema opened in Riyadh on 18 April 2018 and the most recent just last week in Hail, with 10 screens and 1,309 seats.
The industry has witnessed a great turnout; targets were achieved ahead of deadlines as the number of sold tickets reached more than 12 million. Acting Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the Quality of Life Programme Center, Khaled Bin Abdullah Al-Bakr emphasized the important economic roles of the sector, which created more than 2,500 direct jobs, in addition to economic opportunities in this cinema and the film sector as a whole.
He explained that the Saudi film screenings in cinemas have witnessed a great turnout encouraging the doubling of work to support this sector, whether in terms of opening more cinemas or in terms of content support, local and film production, developing and supporting Saudi filmmakers of both genders and consolidating their presence locally and internationally.
The Film Authority – one of the Ministry of Culture agencies – supports and motivates the sector in terms of cinematic local production by training and qualifying young Saudi to develop in the field.