Jeddah, Dec. 27 (AFP): They howled, clapped and ate popcorn — a normal cinema scene elsewhere. But its revolutionary in Saudi Arabia where films have not been shown publicly for decades.

Massive lines snaked out from the King Abdul Aziz Cultural Centre as Jeddah residents queued up to see the first feature film open to the public for 30 years. They hoped that the event heralded a big change in the ultra-conservative kingdom’s stunted cultural scene.

After hush-hush negotiations with senior political officials and the strict religious police, the Red Sea port of Jeddah and the nearby city of Taif allowed the Rotana entertainment group, owned by powerful Saudi tycoon Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, to show its new comedy Manahi for nine days.

The result was overwhelming, the 1,200-seat hall hardly meeting the demand for the $4 tickets for each screening.

“The hall was filled up to the very last seat during the two shows scheduled each day, forcing us to add a third show after midnight,” organiser Mamdouh Salem said.