Saudi Cinema Renaissance Put on Hold After Khashoggi's Death - Bloomberg

Saudi Cinema Renaissance Put on Hold After Khashoggi's Death - Bloomberg:

Just six months ago, Saudi Arabia looked like the New World to Hollywood. Industry advisers and dealmakers crowded a Beverly Hills, California, hotel to rub shoulders with a visiting delegation from the kingdom, which was ending a 35-year ban on movie theaters.

But the murder of writer Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul has put those plans in doubt. Vue, one of the world’s largest cinema chains, has put on hold plans to open as many as 30 locations, Chief Executive Officer Tim Richards told the Guardian newspaper Monday. He also won’t attend the economic forum dubbed “Davos in the Desert.”

Theater operators were one group that was going to benefit quickly from the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s liberalization plans. On April 18, the first commercial theater in Riyadh opened after a three-decade ban.