In Algeria, You Can’t See Barbie Movie:
This week, Algeria took Barbie out of theaters. This makes Algeria one of a growing number of countries that have banned the summer hit due to its themes about sexuality and gender or because it is said to use a controversial map.
Algerian news site 24H said that since it came out on July 19, Barbie has sold out every Algerian theater every day until it was banned. It’s not unusual for countries, especially those in the Gulf, to ban movies as well as TV shows because they go against religious views.
Some countries within the Middle East, for example, have banned movies like Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, Doctor Strange within the Multiverse of Madness, Eternals, as well as West Side Story because they have gay characters.
UAE Gave Permission For Barbie To Be Shown In Theaters:
Eight years ago, there were no movie houses in Saudi Arabia, and the country’s morals police were known for terrorizing the streets by making rules like keeping men and women separate.
Even though things have changed, the difference between men and women is still clear: Saudi women can work, drive, and occasionally go to space, but they still need a male guardian’s permission to get married.
As long as homosexuality is a crime punished by death, it will be hard for LGBTQ+ people to be accepted. With other Middle Eastern countries criticizing the movie, it didn’t seem likely that the kingdom would let Barbie out.
But on August 10, just a few weeks shortly after its release in the US on July 21, and after control boards had asked for a few cuts, Barbie was finally shown in Saudi Arabia.
A Few Theaters Within The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Have Set Up 15 Shows Each Day:
In Saudi Arabia, people have liked the movie a lot. Source says that a lot of people came dressed in pink, and some places planned and sold out fifteen shows a day.
The government source said that the movie “promotes homosexuality along with other Western deviations” and that it “does not fit alongside Algeria’s cultural and religious beliefs.”
Since its release on July 21, Barbie has sold $1.18 billion (€1 billion) worth of tickets all over the world. Margot Robbie as well as Ryan Gosling play Barbie and Ken in the movie.
Kuwait Said It Would Ban Barbie Because It Supports Homosexuality And Transsexuality:
Kuwait banned the movie to protect “public ethics as well as social traditions.” This came soon after a Lebanese minister requested authorities within his country to ban the movie from theaters because it “promotes homosexuality and transsexuality, supports rejecting a father’s guardianship, undermines and mocks the role of the mother, as well as inquiries the necessity of marriage as well as having a family.”
No one knows how many additional nations might also ban the movie. Barbie is set to open in theaters in Lebanon upon August 31, yet some officials have indicated they might ban the movie like they have in other Middle Eastern countries.
Mohammad Mortada, the Lebanese minister of culture, urged the interior ministry to ban Barbie because he stated it goes against “values of faith and morality” and encourages “homosexuality and sexual transformation,” according to the Associated Press.
The Movie About Barbie Was Also Banned In The Philippines:
The New York Times said that Mortada additionally stated that Barbie questioned the need for marriage and made fun of the role of moms. A few weeks ago, Barbie was almost taken away from kids in the Philippines.
After hearing that Vietnam wouldn’t show the movie, officials within the Philippines started a week-long review of it, which included two examinations as well as conversations between different government departments, based to a news release from the country’s Movie as well as Television Review as well as Classification Board.
The U.S. Box Office Has Been Ruled By Barbie:
The board decided that the map in the movie “did not show the ‘nine-dash line,'” which is a term for China’s disputed rights across the South China Sea. Instead, the map “showed the route of Barbie’s imaginary journey,” they said.
In its statement, the board said that it has punished directors and publishers in the past for showing the fake nine-dash line in the movies.
After 4 Weeks Barbie Earned $1 Billion:
Since it came out in July, Barbie has been the most popular movie in the United States. For the past four weeks, it has been the most popular movie. The movie tells the tale of Mattel’s Barbie as well as Ken dolls in real life.
With stars like Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, America Ferrera, as well as Dua Lipa in the group and a pop music by Mark Ronson, many people had been looking forward to the movie’s release for a long time.
