‘Barbie’ Banned In Algeria—Here’s Where Else You Can’t See The Box Office Hit

TOPLINE

Barbie was pulled from theaters in Algeria this week, joining a growing list of countries that, despite the summer blockbuster’s widespread success, have banned the film because of its themes of gender and sexuality or because of the film’s alleged use of a controversial map. (Say what?)

KEY FACTS

Algeria: Algeria’s Ministry of Culture and Arts notified cinemas in the cities of Algiers, Oram and Constantine earlier this week to “immediately” pull the movie, the Algerian news outlet 24H reported (a source confirmed the news to Reuters).

Kuwait: On Thursday, officials in Kuwait announced they were banning the film because it promoted “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order,” according to a statement published by the state-run KUNA news agency. (The statement did not cite any specific scenes that Kuwaiti censors found objectionable.)

Vietnam: Before the film premiered, officials in Vietnam announced they were banning Barbie over a scene that included a map that appeared to show China’s contested territorial claims in the South China Sea—Warner Bros. disputed the claim, describing the drawing as “child-like.”

CONTRA

Before it was banned, Barbie had sold out Algerian theaters every day since its July 19 release, the Algerian news outlet 24H reported.

TANGENT

It’s not uncommon for countries, particularly Gulf nations, to ban movies or TV shows because the content goes against certain religious beliefs. A number of countries in the Middle East, for example, have banned films that include gay characters, such as Everything Everywhere All At Once, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness, Eternals and West Side Story.

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WHAT WE DON’T KNOW

It’s unclear how many other countries may ban the box office hit. Barbie is scheduled to premiere in theaters in Lebanon on August 31, but some officials have said they might follow the lead of other Middle Eastern countries and ban the movie from theaters. Lebanese culture minister Mohammad Mortada asked the interior ministry to ban Barbie because he said it contradicts “values of faith and morality” and promotes “homosexuality and sexual transformation,” the Associated Press reported. Mortada also said Barbie questioned the necessity of marriage and ridiculed the role of mothers, the New York Times reported.

SURPRISING FACT

Barbie was nearly banned in the Philippines earlier this month. Following news of Vietnam’s decision to not air the film, officials in the Philippines launched a weeklong review of the film that included two review sessions and conversations among multiple government departments, according to a press release from the country’s Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. The board decided the map included in the film did “not depict the ‘nine-dash line,’” a term used to describe China’s contested claims over the South China Sea, and instead the map “portrayed the route of the make-believe journey of Barbie.” In the statement, the board noted it has previously sanctioned filmmakers and distributions for exhibiting the fictitious nine-dash line in their films.

BIG NUMBER

$1,187,042,188. That’s how much money Barbie has grossed worldwide since it premiered in mid-July, according to Box Office Mojo. Domestically Barbie has earned more than $526 million, making it the second-highest-grossing movie of the year behind the Super Mario Bros. Movie.

KEY BACKGROUND

Barbie has dominated the U.S. box office since it first opened in theaters in July and taken the top box office spot for the past four weeks. The film tells the live-action story of Mattel dolls Barbie and Ken. With an all-star cast—Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Ncuti Gatwa, Michael Cera, Simu Liu, America Ferrera and Dua Lipa—and pop soundtrack produced by Mark Ronson, the film’s release was long awaited by many.