A cinema might open in Jeddah and Saudis are beyond excited

Late on Thursday, tweeps began to circulate a rumor stating that the Jeddah Municipality had officially issued an authorization to open the city's first-ever cinema building. 

Just a few hours after the rumor began to circulate on social media, it caused a slight meltdown on Twitter. 

To share their thoughts on it, people launched the hashtag 'The first cinema in Jeddah' and it trended for hours. 

"Jeddah's Municipality officially authorized the first cinema in the city."

"Personally, I am so tired of driving to Bahrain and waiting in traffic just to see a film. So to everyone who's against the cinema opening, stay at home and let people have fun." 

"A step backward... a cinema in Saudi? Don't get excited over something that'll anger God." 

A few hours after the hashtag began to trend on social media, Jeddah's Municipality issued a statement refuting the circulating rumor. 

"We would like to clarify that the municipality has not issued any document authorizing cinemas in Jeddah," the statement read. 

It also urged media sites to be more accurate when sharing news. 

Speaking to Okaz newspaper, the head of public relations at Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Entertainment, Sultan Al Qahtani, explained that when any order regarding cinemas in the kingdom is issued, it will officially be announced.  

He also noted that the authority is planning the launch of several initiatives that aim to support art and artists in the kingdom. 

Headed by Amr al-Madani, the authority aims to enhance the cultural and entertainment sector within the country.

In early January, Al Madani revealed that the ban on cinemas may soon be lifted. 

While he gave no official date as to when the country's first cinema would open, many expect that this will happen in the next few months.