The new film Barbie has been a smash-hit in theaters. For some territories, however, Barbie is not being as lovingly-received. In fact, the movie starring Margot Robbie has just been banned in Kuwait over accusations that the film “promotes homosexuality.”
As noted by THR, not only has the film been banned in Kuwait, but it’s close to being banned in Lebanon as well. As they’ve explained, “in Lebanon, which has traditionally been considered among the more liberal countries in the region regarding the LGBTQ community, the culture minister Mohammad Mortada said that Barbie ‘promotes homosexuality’ and ‘contradicts values of faith and morality,’ by diminishing the importance of the family unit.”
They continue to explain that, as a result of his comments, the country’s government body which oversees film censorship is reviewing Barbie. Their recommendation is expected to be that Barbie should be banned in Lebanon. THR further explains the situation in Kuwait:
“Kuwait is perhaps less of surprise, having long been among the strictest when it comes to what can be seen in cinemas. Local reports there assert that the chairman of the film censorship committee Lafi Al-Subaie has accused the film of ‘carrying ideas that encourage unacceptable behavior and distort society’s values.'”
Interestingly, the film is still set to premiere in both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The two nations did not ban the Warner Bros. film from being released. Though it’s possible that they had any potentially offensive scenes removed or censored. As such, we’ll have to see what happens once the film is released.
Barbie was directed by Greta Gerwig, who also co-wrote the film’s script with her partner Noah Baumbach.
In addition to Margot Robbie as the titular Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film’s ensemble cast also includes Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Hari Nef, and Will Ferrell.
Fans can currently see Barbie. Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates regarding the film as we have them.