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>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>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 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>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>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 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>RIYADH (AFP) - A young Saudi Arabian princess inspired by her time living in Tokyo is the new face of fashion in an ultraconservative kingdom, where dramatic reforms have sparked equal parts optimism and scepticism.

Princess Noura bint Faisal Al-Saud, the great-grand-daughter of Saudi Arabia's founder, was named honorary president of the Arab Fashion Council in December last year.

The royal, who turns 30 on Sunday, this month oversaw her country's first Arab Fashion Week, headlined by Jean Paul Gaultier and Roberto Cavalli.

With a shayla headscarf draped over her hair, the princess is warm, welcoming and eloquent, the exact image that fans have hailed as the future of Saudi Arabia and critics have dismissed as little more than window dressing in one of the most restrictive countries in the world.

"Absolutely I understand people's perspective," Princess Noura told AFP in an interview in Riyadh. "Saudi Arabia has strong ties with its culture. As a Saudi woman, I respect my culture, I respect my religion.

"Wearing the abaya or being if you would like to call it conservative in the way we dress is something that is part of who we are. It's part of our culture...this is how our life is, even while travelling."

Saudi Arabia has witnessed rapid policy change since the June appointment of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, son of the king and heir to his throne.

From this summer, women will be allowed to drive in the kingdom. The crown prince has also hinted that the abaya, the neck-to-toe robe worn by women, may no longer be compulsory.

The first Saudi Arabian edition of Arab Fashion Week opened on April 11, two weeks behind schedule, under the eye of Princess Noura.

Organised by the Arab Fashion Council, the event drew international attention both as a watershed in Saudi Arabia and for its controversial configuration, which saw the shows restricted to women - and banned to cameras.

The lineup included Saudi Arabia's own Arwa Banawi, whose The Suitable Woman range is adored by fashionistas across the region, and Mashael Alrajhi, the eponymous gender-inclusive label of a rarely seen Saudi sheikha.

Princess Noura said the limited access was "part of the restrictions that we have to follow as part of the culture. It was a women-only event and some women are coming to the event - most of them, I would say - feeling safe".

"I'm coming to see fashion without having to worry about anyone taking my picture. I want to enjoy it."

Pictures of the event were taken by the fashion council's photographers and released after the approval of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority.

The princess graduated from Tokyo's Rikkyo University with a Masters degree in International Business with a Japanese Perspective.

She cites her time in Japan as a major influence on her approach to fashion, business and people at home.

"That's where the whole love of fashion started," she said. "So I think I bring back a lot of Japan to Saudi... The respect of others, the respect of other people's culture, of other people's religion."

The cultural influence of Asia is visible in Riyadh, where the crossover between the kimono and abaya is growing in popularity among fashion-loving youth.

Ready-couture, the halfway point between haute-couture and ready-to-wear, has also skyrocketed in the region with the rise of social media and influencers, and Saudi Arabia has an eye on that market - as a future manufacturing hub.

"Couture is no longer affordable to a lot of people," said Princess Noura. "It was something that was part of fashion and still is... but these days people are focusing even more on ready-to-wear which is something that everyone can indulge in, everyone can wear, everyone can be part of."

The princess also has her eye on introducing textile manufacturing to Saudi Arabia, which is seeking to reduce the economy's dependence on oil.

"Even if it's just 10 per cent of the production line, or the manufacturing line, we can have the finishing... the last stages of assembly in Saudi Arabia," she said.

"I believe that we can do something great."</s>Yemen is not Saudi Arabia's only unfinished war in this decade. Before Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's military intervention in Yemen, the former Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan spearheaded, between 2012 and 2014, a clandestine proxy war against Iran in Syria. Now, US President Donald Trump is offering Riyadh a comeback to compensate for the potential withdrawal of US forces from Syria.

White House National Security Adviser John Bolton and nominated Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are reportedly leading talks aimed to build an Arab coalition to serve as a stabilising force after the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in northeast Syria. The countries involved in the discussions are Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The US is offering Riyadh - at the centre of these efforts - a major non-NATO ally status if it comes through with peacekeeping forces and funding.

Here's why this proposal, if ever implemented, will make no difference and will most probably aggravate the situation in Syria.

The White House did not engage the Saudi offer earlier this month to take part in the air attacks against the Syrian regime on April 14. Yet, last December, Trump asked Saudi Arabia to provide $4bn to rebuild Syria (an offer Riyadh dismissed), while simultaneously expecting that the Kingdom tolerates the US decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. There is a belief in Riyadh that Trump is asking for Saudi cover on Israeli-Palestinian issues without giving back anything in return. And what Saudi Arabia currently wants from the US is its commitment to deter Iran's growing influence in the Middle East.

Just this month, Trump complained about OPEC's attempts to raise the oil price, which is crucial for Saudi Arabia's grand economic plans, while asking Riyadh to relieve the US of its burden in Syria. Down the road, US-Saudi relations might not remain as cozy as they currently appear.

Riyadh has entertained sending troops to Syria numerous times since 2011, but former President Barack Obama's administration was wary about Saudi intentions and ability to undertake this mission. These challenges remain the same today, if not more acute. On the regional level, this presumed Arab coalition, if deployed, will have no clear mandate.

Both the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are currently dysfunctional, while the 34-nation coalition to counter ISIL that Riyadh announced in December 2015 seems to be more of a public relations stunt than an actual force on the ground.

Previous Arab peacekeeping efforts are not to emulate. For example, the Arab Deterrent Forces, during the Lebanese civil war in 1976, were a total disaster and a cover for the Syrian regime occupation.

Moreover, the actors involved in this proposal do not share the same goals. The US is focused on defeating ISIL and stabilising northeast Syria, while it is not clear if some of the Arab partners will use this platform to pressure the Syrian regime and/or deter Iran.

Having Emirati and Qatari troops on the ground in Syria without resolving the GCC crisis is a recipe for mission malfunction. The Yemeni model shows how even Saudis and Emiratis can have contradictory objectives; the attempted coup in Aden last January is just one example.

Egypt will most likely not send troops in order not to jeopardise its minimal relations with Damascus. It makes no sense for Amman to send military forces all the way to the north while it has long made clear that no Jordanian soldiers will enter Syria on its immediate border in the south.

Other ideas that are being floated include outsourcing the job to either the ill-reputed US military contractor Blackwater or regional private fighters, which means double-dip outsourcing: the US relegate the job to Saudi Arabia which in turn consigns it to mercenaries who are willing to do the dirty job.

What about Turkey, Russia and the SDF?

Most importantly, discussing this matter with Arab partners alone is a futile exercise. US presence in Syria is a non-transferable license without the licensor's consent. Washington needs to have discussions with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the main force on the ground in the northeast. If there is also no tacit understanding with Turkey and Russia, the Arab coalition will go into a landmine field and the US will need to be constantly involved to protect these troops, if not babysit them. The main allies of the Arab coalition, Jordan and Israel, are on the southern border and they have no geographical link to them.

This presumed Arab coalition will be operating in a hostile environment, surrounded by the Syrian regime, Iran, Russia, the SDF and Turkey. Most of the Arab partners involved in the discussions have difficult relations with Turkey, the most crucial neighbour in the northeast. Saudi Arabia will have to convince the Syrian opposition to deal with the SDF as the Kurdish forces will not give up their positions without a fight or a deal.

Riyadh will also need to strike its own deal with Kurdish groups before going in, otherwise the potential for confrontation is high and Saudi troops' record in fighting wars is abysmal. The Arab coalition will face the same dilemma as US forces currently do regarding how to balance the relations between Turkey and the SDF. Moreover, the looming question is who will provide the guarantees that the Arab coalition will not be targeted or will not renew arming rebels after going in.

Trump seems focused on the business transaction of getting US troops out of Syria with no clear regional strategy. The offhandedness in approaching this Arab coalition plan gives an impression that his advisors are buying time to delay the president's insistence on a full withdrawal from Syria.

If all that Saudi Arabia will get out of this deal is a major non-NATO ally status, that's a "bad deal", to use Trump's vocabulary. Jordan acquired this status in 1996 and it has no value except a symbolic one, as Washington already guarantees the security of Gulf countries.

While the US might secure an early withdrawal with this plan, the Arab coalition might in the long run drag the US deeper in the Syrian war. This offer to replace US forces and the Saudi expectation that the US should stay instead are mined invitations exchanged between two allies, both reluctant to face off with Iran and both having no clue what to do next.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Three 4DX locations are expected to open in Riyadh and other major Saudi Arabia cities.