Saudi Arabia lifts 35-year ban of film screenings, first shows were Captain Underpants/Emoji Movie

[Steel]

[quote]Saudi Arabia began screening feature-length animated children’s films this weekend in a makeshift theater, after a 35-year-old ban on cinemas was lifted in the conservative Islamic kingdom.

The first permanent theaters could open as early as March, part of a liberalizing reform drive that has already opened the door to concerts, comedy shows and women drivers over the past year.

For now, the authorities are sponsoring temporary settings, like the state-run cultural hall in the Red Sea city of Jeddah equipped with a projector, a red carpet and a popcorn machine.

“Until now, there is no infrastructure for movie theaters, so we are trying to take advantage of (alternative) venues to approximate the cinematic form,” said Mamdouh Salim, whose Cinema 70 brand organized the week-long screenings.

“We tried to use these films to be a starting point as the first cinematic screening after the decision on Dec. 11 to permit movie theaters.”

Cinemas were banned in the early 1980s under pressure from Islamists as Saudi society turned towards a particularly conservative form of religion that discouraged public entertainment and public mixing between men and women.

But reforms led by 32-year-old Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have eased many of those restrictions, as the government tries to broaden the economy and lessen its dependence on oil.

In a nod to conservatives, films will be censored to make sure they remain in line with the kingdom’s “moral values”.

The authorities expect to open 300 cinemas with 2,000 screens by 2030, building an industry it hopes will contribute more then 90 billion riyals ($24 billion) to the economy and create 30,000 permanent jobs. [/quote]
[url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-cinema/saudi-arabia-begins-screening-films-after-decades-long-ban-lifted-idUSKBN1F40QS]Reuters[/url]
Who the hell picked these films? :ohno:

[Grink Of Meat]

[QUOTE=Steel & Iron;53054931][url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-cinema/saudi-arabia-begins-screening-films-after-decades-long-ban-lifted-idUSKBN1F40QS]Reuters[/url]
Who the hell picked these films? :ohno:[/QUOTE]

They want the movies that cause the least amount of thought i suppose.

[Flameon]

imagine waiting so long to see movies and being forced to see the emoji movie. you probably wont want to watch anything else ever again

[JimisHalpertis]

looks like the ban is going to come straight back

[Mifil]

Oh god the first impression's gonna be awful.

[Phygon]

Well, remember, with the internet(and physical mediums) it's not like a lack of screenings would have stopped the populace from watching movies at all.

[AprilMoon]

captain underpants was pretty good though!

[Mr. Someguy]

Maybe they picked them on purpose to reinforce the idea that American culture is degenerate? One's nudity (by their standards) and toilet humor and the other is just simply unwatchable.

[Kube]

Breaking news: Ban is reinstated after showings of these films, reasoning being the West cannot make good films anymore.

[Tudd Fudders]

[QUOTE=Dazzgrace;53054994]captain underpants was pretty good though![/QUOTE]

Problem is Captain Underpants will lead to degenerate behavior like this that Saudi Arabia can simply not afford to allow to happen.

[media]https://youtu.be/g0RbhqalZZk[/media]

[Sims_doc]

[QUOTE=Flameon;53054939]imagine waiting so long to see movies and being forced to see the emoji movie. you probably wont want to watch anything else ever again[/QUOTE]

That's it, No more screenings after that film.

[Maadz]

[QUOTE=phygon;53054968]Well, remember, with the internet(and physical mediums) it's not like a lack of screenings would have stopped the populace from watching movies at all.[/QUOTE]

basically this, we still have netflix/hulu and totally-not-pirated CDs. not to mention that 90 percent of TV channels basically constantly screen movies

EDIT: The only time they ever censor movies is on the national airline Saudia, where they censor some of the most ridiculous things (like someones legs) otherwise it's pretty uncensored

[Slapdown3]

Well the good news is that it can't possibly get any worse, nowhere to go but up.

[Anteep]

First show should've been [URL="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Lake_(film)"]Bitter Lake[/URL]

[spazthemax]

I saw the Emoji movie in theatres as a joke "lol let's go see a shitty movie" with my friends

I haven't been able to feel the sensation of fun very often or strongly since then

[Wappen]

[QUOTE=St33m;53054935]They want the movies that cause the least amount of thought i suppose.[/QUOTE]

Or maybe they want the crappiest movies they can find so they can say
"all their films are like this, you're not missing anything."

[Grink Of Meat]

[QUOTE=Callinstead;53057428]Or maybe they want the crappiest movies they can find so they can say
"all their films are like this, you're not missing anything."[/QUOTE]

whats the difference