Saudi Arabia marks cinema opening with ‘Black Panther’

L to R: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Image: Matt Kennedy/Marvel Studios 2018

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia will hold a private screening of the Hollywood blockbuster “Black Panther” to herald the launch of movie theaters that are set to open to the public next month.

Authorities are planning an invitation-only screening of the movie in a concert hall that’s been converted into a cinema complex in the capital, Riyadh.

Wednesday’s screening will be followed by a rush to build movie theaters in major cities.

Over the past several years, Saudi Arabia has gradually loosened restrictions on movie screenings, with local film festivals and screenings in makeshift theaters. In the 1970s, there were informal movie screenings, but the experience could be interrupted by the country’s religious police. NVG

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