JEDDAH — As cinemas prepare to make a comeback in Saudi Arabia, #Cinema70, the Kingdom's first cinema brand, has announced a series of international family movies this week.

The six-day family movie festival, organized with the support of General Entertainment Authority, started at the Jeddah Culture and Arts Society on Friday. Organizers said the movies be accompanied by various activities and events.

They said Captain Underpants and The Emoji Movie were the first movies to be screened.

Captain Underpants, the first epic movie to be produced by DreamWorks Animation, tells the story of two school students who hypnotize their director Mr. Krupp magnetically and turn him into a hero for their stories, the good-natured Captain Underpants.

The Emoji Movie, produced by Sony Pictures Animation, is in the secret world of expressive emojis inside the smartphone, hidden in various messaging applications and lives inside the bustling city of Textopolis.

Tickets are available at all Virgin branches and through https://www.ticketingboxoffice.com/

Headed by Mamdouh Salem, a Saudi director and producer who oversaw the first Saudi film festival in 2006, #Cinema70 is the first brand in the Kingdom to specialize in the production and distribution of Saudi film content, and the distribution of international films in the country.

Saudi Arabia recently lifted a 37-year-old ban on cinemas. The government said it would begin licensing cinemas immediately and the first movie theaters are expected to open in March.

Last month, US cinema chain AMC Entertainment signed a deal to build and operate movie theaters in the Kingdom. The deal will see the company form a joint venture with the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund. — SG