Saudi Arabia to get first 4DX movie theaters in the region

South Korea-based CJ 4DPLEX has signed a new partnership with Cinemacity to open three locations in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, and other major Saudi cities by the end of 2018, Al Arabiya with reference to the Variety reported.

Al-Qasr Mall will be the first CJ 4DPLEX multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. Cinemacity’s parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, says it will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. </s> Saudi Arabia is getting its first 4DX movie theaters.

South Korea-based CJ 4DPLEX has signed a new partnership with Cinemacity to open three locations in the country’s capital city, Riyadh, and other major Saudi cities by the end of 2018. The move comes as Saudi Arabia is opening its doors to theatrical exhibition for the first time in 37 years as part of a wider economic and cultural liberalization initiative. The movie business is salivating over the prospect of entering the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s biggest economies and boasts a population of 32 million people, the majority of whom are under the age of 30. This month, AMC opened the first theater in Saudi Arabia and other exhibition companies are expected to follow suit.

4DX is like 3D on steroids. It’s an interactive experience, one in which audiences’ seats move along with the on-screen action — auditoriums have a variety of synchronized special effects, such as rain, wind, fog, and various scents.

Al Qasr Mall will be the first CJ 4DPLEX multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. Cinemacity’s parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, says it will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

“With this upcoming debut in Saudi Arabia and further expansion in this region with Cinemacity, we will reach to the Saudi’s untapped market and lead cinema revolution in progressing immersive cinema into the future,” Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX, said in a statement.

Earlier this week, CJ 4DPLEX announced it was adding 145 4DX screens around the world through a partnership with Cineworld, the parent company of Regal. </s> Seoul, South Korea – April 25, 2018 – CJ 4DPLEX (www.cj4dx.com) has signed a new partnership with Cinemacity, the leading cinema exhibitor in Saudi Arabia, further extending the reach of 4DX in Middle East. Through this deal, three 4DX locations will open in the country’s capital city, Riyadh, and other major Saudi cities by the end of this year.

Al Qasr Mall will be our first Multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. It is expected to mark an average of 750,000 admissions during our first year of operation catering to individuals from all walks of life that enjoy luxurious and quality entertainment.

Cinemacity’s parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and soon, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“Here at Cinemacity, we strive to be at the forefront of entertainment excellence, providing our guests with a top tier cinema-going experience on all fronts. We are proud to partner with 4DX and provide patrons with 4DX’s state-of-the-art immersive entertainment systems that will distinguish us in the market, and add to our brand as a whole,” said Karim Atassi, Vice President of Business Development of Cinemacity.

“With this upcoming debut in Saudi Arabia and further expansion in this region with Cinemacity, we will reach to the Saudi’s untapped market and lead cinema revolution in progressing immersive cinema into the future,” said Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX. </s> The world's first 4D cinema company said on Thursday that it has signed a new agreement with Cinemacity to enter the Saudi market following the lifting of a decades-old ban.

Through this deal, three 4DX locations will open in the country's capital city, Riyadh, and other major Saudi cities by the end of this year, CJ 4DPLEX said in a statement.

Al Qasr Mall will be the first multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. It is expected to see 750,000 admissions during the first year of operation, the South Korean company added.

Cinemacity's parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

"Here at Cinemacity, we strive to be at the forefront of entertainment excellence, providing our guests with a top tier cinema-going experience on all fronts. We are proud to partner with 4DX and provide patrons with 4DX's state-of-the-art immersive entertainment systems that will distinguish us in the market, and add to our brand as a whole," said Karim Atassi, vice president of business development of Cinemacity.

"With this upcoming debut in Saudi Arabia and further expansion in this region with Cinemacity, we will reach to the Saudi's untapped market and lead cinema revolution in progressing immersive cinema into the future," added Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX.

CJ 4DPLEX is headquartered in Seoul with international offices in Los Angeles and Beijing.

For all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin , like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily. </s> ISLAMABAD, Apr 27 (APP):South Korea-based CJ 4DPLEX has signed a new partnership with Cinemacity to open three locations in Riyadh and other major Saudi cities by the end of 2018, according to Variety.

 Saudi Gazette reported that Al-Qasr Mall will be the first CJ 4DPLEX multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. Cinemacity’s parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, says it will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.

 4DX is like 3D on steroids. It is an interactive experience, one in which audiences’ seats move along with the on-screen action auditoriums have a variety of synchronized special effects, such as rain, wind, fog, and various scents, according to the report.

 “With this upcoming debut in Saudi Arabia and further expansion in this region with Cinemacity, we will reach to the Saudi’s untapped market and lead cinema revolution in progressing immersive cinema into the future,” Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX, said in a statement.

 Earlier this week, CJ 4DPLEX announced it was adding 145 4DX screens around the world through a partnership with Cineworld, the parent company of Regal. </s> SEOUL, South Korea, April 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- CJ 4DPLEX has succeeded in a new partnership with Cinemacity, the leading cinema exhibitor in Saudi Arabia, further extending the reach of 4DX in Middle East. Through this deal, three 4DX locations will open in the country's capital city, Riyadh, and other major Saudi cities by the end of this year.

Al Qasr Mall will be our first Multiplex in Riyadh, featuring 19 screens. It is expected to mark an average of 750,000 admissions during our first year of operation, catering to individuals from all walks of life that enjoy luxurious and quality entertainment.

Cinemacity's parent company, Xclusive Cinemas SAL Holding, will operate 116 screens by the end of 2018 in five countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the UAE, and soon, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"Here at Cinemacity, we strive to be at the forefront of entertainment excellence, providing our guests with a top tier cinema-going experience on all fronts. We are proud to partner with 4DX and provide patrons with 4DX's state-of-the-art immersive entertainment systems that will distinguish us in the market, and add to our brand as a whole," said Karim Atassi, Vice President of Business Development of Cinemacity.

"With this upcoming debut in Saudi Arabia and further expansion in this region with Cinemacity, we will reach to the Saudi's untapped market and lead cinema revolution in progressing immersive cinema into the future," said Byung Hwan Choi, CEO of CJ 4DPLEX.

CJ 4DPLEX is the world's first 4D cinema company, headquartered in Seoul with international offices in Los Angeles and Beijing. The company created 4DX, the first and leading 4D cinema technology for feature films, providing moviegoers with an immersive cinematic experience that utilizes all five senses, allowing the audience to connect with movies through motion, vibration, water, wind, snow, lightning, scents, and other special effects that enhance the visuals on-screen. CJ 4DPLEX brings 4DX auditoriums to exhibition partners along with 4DX codes for both major Hollywood blockbusters and local titles. Each auditorium incorporates motion-based seating synchronized with more than 20 different effects and optimized by a team of skilled editors, maximizing the feeling of immersion within the movie, beyond the limits of audio and video. Since 2009, more than 520 Hollywood and local titles have been screened in 4DX. As of April 2018, more than 61,000 4DX seats operate in 500 auditoriums spanning 59 countries. CJ 4DPLEX was named a Most Innovative Company of 2017 in Live Events by Fast Company. The company was awarded the silver Edison Awards in the Media and Visual Communications-Entertainment category in 2015 and 2018. For more information, please visit www.cj4dplex.com.

Cinemacity is a subsidiary of Xclusive Cinemas SAL, a leading cinema developer and operator in Middle East and GCC region. From concrete to furniture, Xclusive Cinemas works from conceptualization to operation of world class luxury cinema theaters for a movie-going experience like no other.

Founded in 2005 by CEO Hammad Atassi, Xclusive Cinemas operates screens in Lebanon, UAE, Jordan, and Syria, with plans to open multiplexes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 2018, reaching 116 screens by years end. </s> Saudi Arabia to get first 4DX movie theaters in the region – Al-Arabiya

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This post was syndicated from Entertainment - Google News. Click here to read the full text on the original website. </s> The Arab nation recently announced it was lifting a 35-year ban on cinemas.

Mexico's Cinepolis, the world's fourth-largest exhibitor, has announced plans to crack Saudi Arabia's untapped and highly lucrative cinema market.

In a partnership with Saudi Arabia's entertainment and hospitality operator Alhokair Group and Dubai-based luxury and lifestyle retailer Al Tayer Group, over the next five years Cinepolis will build a range of cinemas. That will include luxury theaters, kid-friendly auditoriums and movie houses equipped with 4DX technology, which offer augmented effects such as seat motion, wind and scents.

Saudi Arabia's coveted exhibition market is valued at around $1 billion in several years.

Cinepolis currently operates 5,300-plus screens across 14 countries worldwide, including Mexico, the U.S., India and Brazil. In the coming years, the circuit plans to build cinemas in 15 key Saudi Arabian cities.

With a country that's home to more than 30 million potential moviegoers, Cinepolis CEO Alejandro Ramirez called the December opening of Saudi Arabia's exhibition sector a "monumental transformation."

The lifting of the 35-year cinema ban is part of a long-term reform program aimed to stimulate and diversify the economy.

Additionally, Cinepolis is set to launch theaters in the Arab Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Bahrain, with the first location due to open early next year.

Rival theater chain AMC Theaters, the world's largest exhibitor, announced earlier this month that it had won Saudi Arabia's first license to operate cinemas with a local partner. </s> Saudi Arabia has ended a 35-year ban on movie theaters with a screening of "Black Panther."

America's biggest movie theater company, AMC, (AMC) played the Hollywood blockbuster on Wednesday at its new single-screen cinema in the financial district of the capital Riyadh.

The gala opening was limited to about 500 invited guests, executives and officials, but public screenings of the movie will begin soon, AMC said. A Saudi official said that would happen from May 1.

AMC said men and women would be able to sit together at the gala screening. The Saudi official said there would also be no segregation when theaters open to the public -- moviegoers would be able to choose between mixed, male-only and female-only screenings.

Saudi men and women are customarily separated in public places. But that restriction is being relaxed. Men and women were able to sit together at several music concerts and events in 2017.

A further three screens are expected to open at the AMC cinema in the coming months and will show a range of Hollywood films.

Late last year, Saudi Arabia announced it would allow cinemas to open in the country as part of its economic overhaul, dubbed Vision 2030.

The government hopes that opening movie theaters will act as a catalyst for economic growth and diversification, creating new employment opportunities and providing Saudis with a greater range of entertainment options. The goal over the coming years is to reduce Saudi's economic reliance on oil.

Related: 6 ways life will change in Saudi Arabia in 2018

AMC was the first company to score an operating license from the Saudi Ministry of Culture.

"We're going to show typical Hollywood blockbusters that are very popular in the United States and Europe and elsewhere in the world," AMC CEO Adam Aron told CNN. "Hollywood has been showing movies in the Middle East for a long time [and] has proven that it can be sensitive to the local cultures here and in the region."

John Sfakianakis, director of economic research at the Gulf Research Center in Riyadh, said that opening new entertainment venues will encourage Saudis to spend more money at home rather than on vacations in nearby countries.

"The economy will benefit greatly as fewer nationals will exit to watch movies and be entertained," he said. "Younger people and older people will be flooding to the place to see the show," he added.

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Culture forecasts that the country of 32 million people will have 350 cinemas by 2030.

AMC, which is owned by Chinese property and entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, has plans to open at least 30 cinemas across the kingdom in the next five years. It's hoping to operate half of all Saudi theaters in the long run in partnership with the Saudi state-owned Development and Investment Entertainment Company.

Vue International also plans to open 30 multiplexes in Saudi Arabia in the coming years. It said it expects the first venue to open later this year.

Vox Cinemas and Novo Cinemas, both based in the United Arab Emirates, are interested in expanding across the border into the new, potentially much bigger, Saudi market. The UAE chains already cater to regional audiences by subtitling movies in Arabic and removing scenes of a sexual nature.

Saudi Arabia said last year that movies "will be subject to censorship according to media policy standards of the Kingdom," to ensure they comply with Saudi values and principles and do not contradict Sharia, or Islamic, law.

Saudi Arabia's cinema industry is expected to grow to around $1 billion over the coming years, AMC said.

Saudi movie fans already got a taste of Tinseltown in January, when a film festival in Jeddah screened "The Emoji Movie" and "Captain Underpants."

-- CNN's Sarah El Sirgany and Chris Liakos contributed to this report.
Three 4DX locations are expected to open in Riyadh and other major Saudi Arabia cities.