Saudi capital Riyadh welcomes opening of its second cinema

Arab News
May 1, 2018

Riyadh, May 1: Film fans in the Saudi capital witnessed the opening of its second cinema on Monday night.

The opening saw yet another player entering Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing entertainment landscape. This time it is VOX Cinemas, which now rivals AMC Cinemas in the Kingdom.

VOX Cinema promises lower prices and a much more practical location, inside a beautifully constructed mall. The new shopping center, Riyadh Park, is surrounded by natural light during the day and has many shops that have yet to open. It is convenient for moviegoers.  Ticket prices at the VOX cinema, which has Imax 3D, start at SR50 ($13.3). They will go on sale online or through the VOX app, starting in three days’ time.

The first four-screen multiplex in the Kingdom was opened under the patronage of Minister of Culture and Information Awwad Al-Awwad. Also in attendance was Reda Haidar, director general of the General Commission of Audiovisual Media.The movie screened was “Avengers: Infinity War.”

The cinema is located on the first floor of the mall and surrounded by restaurants and an entertainment center. Its four theaters can accommodate a large number of moviegoers and a variety of movies can be screened simultaneously.

VOX Cinemas is a subsidiary of Majid Al-Futtaim (MAF) and is the largest cinema operator in the MENA region.

Cinema returned to Saudi Arabia on April 18 with the first major movie screening in 35 years in a spectacular new theater in King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The gala screening of the Hollywood blockbuster “Black Panther” was attended by hundreds of invited guests in the sleek and chic complex — described by AMC cinema chain bosses as “the most beautiful movie theater in the world.”

Saudi Arabia plans to open 350 cinemas across the country by 2030, which will include 2,500 screens, which are expected to contribute around $25 billion to the economy.

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Agencies
April 26,2020

Riyadh, Apr 26: The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has issued an order to partially lift the curfew in all regions of the Kingdom, to become from 9am to 5pm, starting Sunday through Wednesday May 13, while keeping a 24-hour curfew in the holy city of Makkah and in previously isolated neighbourhoods, state news agency (SPA) said early on Sunday.

The order also allowed the opening of some economic and commercial activities, which include wholesale and retail shops in addition to malls.

They can operate for two weeks, beginning on April 29 (Wednesday) until May 13 (Ramadan 6-20), however, certain shops within malls like beauty clinics, barber salons, gyms, cinemas, and restaurants will continue to be restricted from reopening.

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News Network
March 24,2020

Mar 24: Saudi Arabia has recorded its first death from the coronavirus in a 51-year-old Afghani resident, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali told a televised news conference on Tuesday.

The man's health deteriorated quickly after reporting to a hospital emergency room in the city of Medina and he died on Monday night, Abdelali said.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

Dubai, May 26: An Indian expat, who recently recovered from COVID-19, fell to his death from a building in Dubai, police said.

The 26-year-old Indian national identified as Neelath Muhammed Firdous from Kerala, fell from the seventh floor balcony of his building where he stayed with six others including his uncle, Naushad Ali, 33.

A Dubai Police official confirmed the incident to Gulf News on Monday and said it had been a suicide.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and there is no criminal suspicions behind his death," said the official.

"The incident happened on Sunday," the official confirmed.

The victim's relative said: "(He) awoke early to perform prayers and everyone was getting on with their daily morning chores when he walked to the balcony and jumped.

"He was suffering from a mental disorder and had been disturbed for some time. He thought everyone was out to attack him and had stopped eating his food as he thought people were feeding him poison. He was refusing to even take water from us."

The victim had tested positive for COVID-19 on April 10. On May 7, he was discharged from a Dubai hospital after clearing all tests.

The relative told Gulf News that he had registered the victim in the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) last month in order to repatriate him, however he was unsuccessful in procuring a ticket.

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