Barbie has exceeded all expectations at the box office, officially passing the $1 billion mark worldwide earlier this week. But not every country around the globe has embraced Greta Gerwig's comedic/satirical take on the iconic fashion doll.
After previously facing censorship in Saudi Arabia (the film was ultimately granted a release), Kuwait and the Lebanon have now banned Barbie outright.
The chairman of Kuwait's film censorship committee, Lafi Al-Subaie, has accused the film of carrying "ideas that encourage unacceptable behaviour and distort society’s values.” A24 horror flick Talk To Me has also been banned for featuring trans nonbinary actor Zoe Terakes in the cast (even though the film does not contain any LGBTQ+ themes whatsoever).
Kuwait has long been among the strictest Middle Eastern location when it comes to what is ultimately granted a theatrical release, so this doesn't really come as much of a surprise, but the fact that The Lebanon, which is generally considered among the more liberal countries in the region when it comes to the LGBTQ community, has also flagged the movie has raised a few eyebrows.
Culture minister Mohammad Mortada said that Barbie “promotes homosexuality” and “contradicts values of faith and morality,” by diminishing the importance of the family unit.
At the end of the day, this isn't going to have much of an impact on Barbie's continued success, and despite several notable figures coming out to bash the film, it has also made a few unlikely converts.
From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Lady Bird) comes Barbie, which also stars America Ferrera (End of Watch, the How to Train Your Dragon films), Kate McKinnon (Bombshell, Yesterday), Issa Rae (The Photograph, Insecure), Rhea Perlman (I’ll See You in My Dreams, Matilda), and Will Ferrell (the Anchorman films, Talladega Nights), and more.
Gerwig directs from a screenplay she penned alongside Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale), based on the iconic fashion dolls by Mattel.
The film’s producers are Oscar nominee David Heyman (Marriage Story, Gravity), Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, with Gerwig, Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams serving as executive producers.