And it will be the first of many as 40 cinemas will open in Saudi cities over the next five years. With the aim to set up around 350 altogether with over 2,500 screens by 2030.

The move comes as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 programme which aims to broaden Saudi’s economy and lessen its dependency on oil.

“We think it’s going to be the prettiest movie theatre in the world,” says AMC Chief Executive Adam Aron. “It’s a dramatic building.”

Saudi – which employs a state policy of gender segregation between unrelated men and women – regularly scores near the bottom on global gender equality rankings. However, the new AMC cinema will not segregate its viewers by gender, unlike other public spaces in the country.

Images: Marvel Studios 2018 / Unsplash

Black Panther will be the first film to be screened in Saudi Arabia since the Eighties