Though Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie has topped $1 billion in global ticket sales, some countries still aren’t on board.
The bubblegum pink flick won’t see a premiere in Kuwait to protect “public ethics and social traditions,” Reuters reported.
Lafi Al-Subaie, chairman of the film censorship committee in Kuwait, has accused “Barbie” of “carrying ideas that encourage unacceptable behavior and distort society’s values,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cited local media reports.
And in Lebanon, per Reuters, the film has been accused of “promoting homosexuality.”
Minister Mohammad Mortada, who is supported by the powerful political party and militant group Hezbollah, said the movie was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation” and “contradicts values of faith and morality,” as it lessens the “importance of the family unit.”
Because of Mortada’s statements, Lebanon’s interior minister, Bassam Mawlawi, has asked the General Security’s censorship committee to review the film and give its recommendation, according to Reuters.
The Post reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
Reuters reported that Lebanon was the first Arab country to have a gay pride week in 2017, but recently, there have been stricter crackdowns against LGBTQ+ communities and their rights.
In July 2022, authorities in the country “unlawfully banned peaceful gatherings lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people,” according to Human Rights Watch.
The “Barbie” movie, which stars Australian actress Margot Robbie as the titular character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, follows the pair from Barbie Land to the “real world.”
In an interview with Attitude last month, Robbie explained that she wanted filmgoers to feel “represented.”
“We wanted Barbie Land to feel incredibly inclusive,” she told the UK outlet. “And we wanted this film to feel like everyone was welcome. So, it was so important that, kind of, every person that was, like, coming aboard the party would be able to represent someone else that could be watching this movie.”
However, Robbie, who served as an executive producer of the film, did confirm it does not feature any gay Kens or Barbies.
The movie, which premiered July 21, has been wildly popular so far, taking No. 1 at the box office the first two days and raking in $70.5 million in sales.
Nevertheless, the film was banned in Vietnam.
The fracas stems from a scene that includes a map using the “nine-dash line” — a set of line segments that represent China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea — which Vietnam claims violates its sovereignty.