VOX to open multiplex in Riyadh soon

VOX Cinemas, owned by Dubai's Majid Al Futtaim, said on Thursday it had received a license to operate cinemas in Saudi Arabia and would open a four-screen multiplex theater in Riyadh "in the coming days".

VOX Cinemas is the MENA region’s largest cinema operator. Thursday’s announcement 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.

The Kingdom has ended a nearly 40-year ban on commercial cinemas, which were shuttered in the early1980s but are returning through a modernizing drive by the reform-minded Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, deputy premier and minister of defense.

The first theater — operated by AMC Entertainment Holdings — was launched this week, with public viewings expected to start on Friday. The authorities plan to set up around 350 cinemas with over 2,500 screens by 2030, which they hope will attract nearly $1 billion in annual ticket sales.

VOX said in a statement it was investing SR2 billion ($533 million) in Saudi Arabia to open 600 screens in the next five years, starting at Riyadh Park Mall which will host the Kingdom's first IMAX screen.

Other cinemas currently under design include Majid Al Futtaim’s Mall of Saudi and City Center Ishbiliyah. Both locations are set to open in Riyadh in the coming years.

Majid Al Futtaim will be the exclusive distributor of 20th Century Fox content to all Saudi cinemas with plans to release "The Darkest Minds", "The Predator" and "Alita Battle Angel" during 2018, the statement added.

Commenting on Thursday’s announcement, Majid Al Futtaim CEO Alain Bejjani said: "We thank the Saudi Government, the Ministry of Culture and Information and the General Commission for Audio-visual Media for the confidence they have placed in us to contribute to a new chapter in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. VOX Cinemas will join a growing stable of Majid Al Futtaim’s leading retail, leisure and entertainment brands operating across the Kingdom.”

The new cinema developments will create some 3,000 direct jobs, providing a boost to the diversification agenda for the Saudi economy.

Bejjani added, “Majid Al Futtaim is proud to be one of the largest private sector investors in the Kingdom and Vision 2030, with an investment commitment now increasing to SR16 billion.”

Majid Al Futtaim Ventures CEO Ahmed Galal Ismail said, “We are excited by the opportunity to be a catalyst for the development of creative talent and content in the Kingdom. VOX Cinemas is honored to deliver our world-class portfolio of viewing experiences and premium concepts unrivaled anywhere else in Saudi Arabia. We are committed to providing our Saudi audience with countless great moments while making a direct contribution to the diversification of the Saudi economy.”

As recipient of the Global Achievement in Exhibition Award at CinemaCon 2017 and with 32 cinema complexes in seven countries in the MENA region, VOX Cinemas is already well-known to Saudi movie fans. In addition to the IMAX and KIDS concepts at the Riyadh Park location, VOX Cinemas complexes across the region also include THEATER by Rhodes and GOLD by Rhodes. Both are unique concepts that combine fine-dining with a VIP cinema experience and appeal to the region’s discerning movie guests. VOX Cinemas’ upcoming locations in Saudi are expected to offer these concepts together with the open-air viewing experience, OUTDOOR and MAX, the mega-screen that’s ideal for blockbuster movies.

Majid Al Futtaim has had a significant presence in Saudi Arabia for more than 14 years through Carrefour, operating 16 hypermarkets and supermarkets with more than 7,000 employees. The company also operates Enova in Saudi Arabia, a facility management company, through a joint venture operation with Veolia and owns a fashion retail business representing international brands such as AllSaints, Abercrombie & Fitch and Sacoor.