Cinema of Saudi Arabia
With the exception of one IMAX theater in Khobar, there were no cinemas in Saudi Arabia from 1983 to 1997, Saudis wishing to watch films have done so via satellite, or video. Cinemas had been banned for 14 years until the first cinema in Saudi Arabia opened on 16 April 1997 in Riyadh. AMC Theatres plans to open up to 40 cinemas in some 15 Saudi cities over the following five years.