The Ministry of Culture and Information has granted a joint venture between the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and US-based AMC Entertainments Inc. the first cinema operating licence to operate cinemas in Saudi Arabia. The first movie theatre is set to inaugurate in Riyadh on 18 April, the Centre for International Communication (CIC) said in a statement Wednesday. The move comes after the Ministry of Culture and Information announced the lifting of a 35-year ban on cinemas last December. AMC, the world’s largest exhibitor, and the Development & Investment Entertainment Co., a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s PIF, plan to open as many as 40 cinemas within five years and 60 more by 2030, according to a statement Wednesday. The Ministry added that the goal is to open 30 to 40 movie theatres in 15 cities in the next five years and a total of up to 100 in the next decade in 25 cities.