'Black Panther' To Be First Movie To Publicly Screen In A Theater In Saudi Arabia In 35 Years

We can add another achievement to Black Panther's already long list of accomplishments, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe film will help lift a 35-year ban on theatrical screenings in Saudi Arabia in the near future.

In 1979, the nation began to observe incredibly conservative regulations as part of its growing push towards religious values. In the early 1980s, the closure of movie theaters was the result of this conservative movement. Last December, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced the lifting of the ban in hopes of transforming the values of the country.

An AMC-branded theater in Riyadh would kick off the movie resurgence with a gala premiere of Black Panther. The building was originally an orchestra hall, featuring more than 600 luxurious seats, marble bathrooms, and multiple levels of seating.

With nearly 23 million citizens under the age of 30, some analysts are predicting the country can become a huge foreign market, possibly leading to $1 billion in annual revenue, putting it in the top 10 theatrical foreign markets. AMC Entertainment hopes to open up 40 theaters within the year and a total of 100 theaters in the next five years.

Given its worldwide financial success and multi-cultural themes, Black Panther makes the perfect representative to help usher in the theatrical experience in the country.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the film had earned $1.279 billion at the worldwide box office, with $652.5 million of that total coming in North America.

At the global box office, Black Panther has pushed Disney's Frozen out of the top 10 all-time earners. Avatar, Titanic, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens take up the top three spots, being the only three films to cross the coveted $2 billion barrier. Jurassic World, Marvel's The Avengers, Furious 7, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi make up the rest of the top 10.

In regards to domestic box office charts, Black Panther is currently in the fourth spot behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avatar, and Titanic standing in its way.

Black Panther is in theaters now.

Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Avengers: Infinity War on April 27th, Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.

Do you think any upcoming MCU films could be as successful as Black Panther? Let us know in the comments below!

[H/T Variety]