RIYADH — As part of the initiatives of the Quality of Life Program in accordance with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and under the direct supervision of the General Authority for Audiovisual Media, cinema activity, an important entertainment, cultural and economic sector, has recently been revitalized in the Kingdom after decades of suspension, a report said here Monday.

Celebrating its third anniversary Monday, the cinema sector witnessed over the past years a quantum leap to the entertainment options available to individuals and families in the Kingdom, the report said.

During the past three years, 34 cinemas were opened in 12 cities within 6 administrative regions in the Kingdom, with about 342 screens and more than 35,000 seats, and 11 companies specialized in cinema operation, including nine international companies licensed, the report said.

It added that the first cinema was opened in Riyadh on April 18, 2018, and the last opened last week in Hail, with 10 screens and 1,309 seats.

Acting Executive Director for Marketing and Communication at the Quality of Life Program Center Khaled Bin Abdullah Al-Bakr reported selling more than 12 million tickets on the third anniversary of launching the cinema sector anew in the Kingdom.

He indicated that the Quality of Life Program works through the initiatives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and through the executive bodies, to develop the sector in an integrated manner, as the Public Authority for Audiovisual Media works on the operational side of the sector, while the Film Authority, one of the Ministry of Culture agencies, supports and stimulates the sector in terms of production.

Al-Bakr emphasized the important economic roles of the sector, which has created more than 2,500 direct jobs, in addition to economic opportunities in film sector as a whole. More than 70 cinemas are expected to open soon in 13 administrative regions, he said.

He added that the authority works to support local content, film production and Saudi filmmakers of both sexes to establish their presence locally and internationally. — SPA