The Marvel movie Black Panther has been groundbreaking in so many ways. Not only was the movie praised for its excellent storytelling and representation of Black culture, but it has also raked in the big bucks, grossing over $1.29 billion worldwide.
The movie has also broken another record by becoming the first movie to be shown in Saudi Arabia for 35 long years.
The fiercely conservative Arab nation only opened up their cinemas recently and Black Panther was the first movie shown.
The viewing took place on Wednesday with an invitation-only gala event at a luxurious new AMC theatre in the capital city of Riyadh.
There would be a few more tests before the cinema is fully open to the public for use.
The set date at the moment is in May and would mark the continued move by Prince Mohammed to diversify the country’s economy and bring the oil-rich nation into the future.
“This is a historic day for AMC. This is a historic day for your country,” AMC chief executive, Adam Aron told the audience at the first screening. “Welcome to the era when movies can be watched by Saudis not in Bahrain, not in Dubai, not in London … but inside the kingdom.”
Black Panther currently sits at number 10 on the list of highest grossing movies of all time and the 3rd highest in all of North America’s history.