In a major boost to the Saudi entertainment industry, Majid Al Futtaim, has announced plans to open 600 new Vox Cinemas screens across the kingdom over the next five years at an investment of SAR2bn.
The announcement comes after the Vox Cinemas, a unit of Majid Al Futtaim and one of the regions largest theatre operators, was granted one of the first licenses to operate cinemas in Saudi Arabia. Its brand-new cinema, which will be the first multiplex in Saudi Arabia, will open at Riyadh Park Mall in the coming days, said the Vox Cinemas’ parent company in a statement.
The Vox Cinemas Riyadh Park experience will include four screens located within the largest Magic Planet Family Entertainment Centre in the region. Content including animation, family-friendly films, and educational movies will be available through a completely unique and world-class portfolio of viewing experiences including the first Imax screen to exhibit movies and Vox Kids, the concept designed especially for young movie fans, said the statement.
The investment is the biggest ever made in Saudi cinema sector, said the retail pioneer in its statement. It paves the way for Vox Cinemas to start delivering on an ambitious plan to bring its world-class cinema entertainment portfolio to Saudi Arabia and support the growth of audio-visual and creative talent across the kingdom, it stated.
The Majid Al Futtaim announcement comes a day after Saudi film fans gathered for the first public showing of a movie for 35 years.
Majid Al Futtaim CEO Alain Bejjani, said: “This commitment is expected to create more than 114,000 direct and indirect job opportunities. Vox Cinemas will join a growing stable of Majid Al Futtaims leading retail, leisure and entertainment brands operating across the Kingdom. These new cinema developments will create some 3,000 direct jobs, providing a boost to the diversification agenda for the Saudi economy.”
Through its partnership with 20th Century Fox, the distribution arm of Majid Al Futtaim Cinemas will also be exclusively distributing Fox content to all cinemas across Saudi Arabia.