'Black Panther' becomes first movie released in Saudi Arabia in 35 years

Wakanda Forever!

On Wednesday night, Black Panther was screened in Saudi Arabia, making it the first public cinema screening in 35 years.

At 9 p.m. in Ridyah, Saudi Arabia, 600 guests watched Ryan Coogler's Marvel mega-hit, Black Panther.

According to sources, 40 seconds of the film were censored for the audience.

Back in December, Saudi Arabia lifted its decade-long ban on movie theaters.

This is another moment in a long string of historic marks for Black Panther which has brought in over $1.3 billion. The film starring Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan among one of the most star-studded casts of the year already made an incredible cultural impact in America and now has reached every corner of the world.

Saudi Arabia is currently going through a liberalizing change in the country. Awwad Alawwad, Saudi's minister of culture and information was in attendance Wednesday along with the CEO of AMC, Adam Aron, who won the rights to screen the movie in the country.

There are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the screening including which 40 seconds were censored and whether men and women would be segregated during the screening. The country still follows strict gender segregation laws but is apparently being more loose with them especially when the eyes of the world are on them.

Some in the country had complaints about the historic screening. Some thought that it was an elitist event and wondered why "regular people" weren't invited. Others considered why they didn't show works made in the country by Saudi directors.

Regardless, in the months following this screening, Saudi Arabia will be showing a lot of changes in their culture. At Cannes Film Festival, the Saudi Film Council will make its first international appearance.

We will keep our eyes peeled to Saudi Arabia for more information on their cinema and funding for films to be made right there.

What do you think about the screening in Saudi Arabia?

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