Riyadh and The Hollywood Screenplay

Black Panther is going to be part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s entertainment history on the 18th of April 2018, when Saudis go back to school.  Delete that, make it go back to movie theatres.

It will be the first film, adult Saudis will see after 35 years without popcorn.  Public cinema was banned because the country believed that it corrupted the mind. 

No doubt Black Panther’s gala opening in Riyadh will be attended by the rich and religious, but women will not be wearing gowns that show top and bottom flesh.  It’s haram (forbidden).  They will be wearing the abaya khalijia and make-up will be picture perfect under the head cover known as the shayla.

It is back to the cinema for Saudi Arabia, but it is also a wake-up call for producers.  It is not business as usual in terms of the screenplay.  Hollywood and Netflix should throw out the tired dialogue and come up with something original that will be enjoyed by the whole world, across racial, cultural and religious lines. 

Black Panther, directed by Ryan Coogler is a case in point.  Yes, it has the usual superhero scenes, but audiences are enjoying the original writing. There is nothing frustrating like sitting in the dark theatre and predicting what the actors will say. 

Hollywood scenes have not changed either. The story opens with people brushing their teeth then rushing to the office holding Starbucks coffee.  There is a bar scene, a nightclub scene, women buying paper thin underwear and sex.  Such scenes will be deleted for Saudi Arabia or the movie not released at all.

Saudi Arabia might be a small market but it has money, and money is something producers understand.  They used to think that the black experience had no pulling power for the domestic and foreign box office. That was before Black Panther.

Producers should be looking at the reason why Saudi Arabia decided that Black Panther is the ideal film to mark such a historic decision, allowing Saudis to go back to the movies.

By:  Nonqaba waka Msimang.