A few months ago, Saudi Arabia >ended a long-standing ban on cinemas in the country, announcing the kingdom's plans to open movie theaters in 2018.
On Wednesday, Saudi authorities officially announced the opening date of its first cinema in more than 35 years, which is set to take place on April 18. The theater will be located in the King Abdullah financial district in the capital city of Riyadh.
The announcement came soon after the kingdom finalized an agreement with AMC Entertainment Holdings - an American movie theater chain - which will see 40 theaters open in the kingdom in the next five years.
According to The Guardian, the cinemas will not be gender segregated.
The main theater will feature around 500 leather seats, orchestra and balcony levels, and marble bathrooms said Adam Aron, AMC's chief executive, according to The Guardian.
"We think it’s going to be the prettiest movie theater in the world," Aron said.
The first movie set to screen in the country will be "Black Panther" - a 2018 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character.
In hopes to build an industry that will contribute more than 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy, authorities plan to open 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens across the kingdom by 2030.
Industry experts have also said that as many as 20,000 jobs could be created. Prior to the ban lift, thousands of Saudis traveled to neighboring Bahrain for entertainment.
In November, Saudi Arabia put an end to a long-standing ban on cinemas in the country.
The announcement ended months of >speculation on the matter and came at a time when Saudi's entertainment industry has been making >significant strides.
Months later, authorities created a theater-like setting for a cinematic screening which included a projector, a red carpet, and a popcorn machine at the state-run cultural hall in Jeddah.
Saudi nationals and expats got the opportunity to >attend the screening of the Sony-backed animated comedy film "The Emoji Movie" in January.
The animated film was screened alongside "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" as a double bill.
According to The Guardian, cinemas were banned in the 1970s after a number of powerful clerics closed down existing ones in the kingdom.