‘Barbie’ Gets Mixed Reception in Middle East
Despite its smash success at global box offices, Barbie has met a mixed response in the Middle East.
The film, which has netted over $1 billion worldwide to date, premiered in the United States on July 9 and was subsequently released in numerous other countries, including in the Middle East and North Africa. It opened in Morocco and Tunisia on July 19, Algeria and Israel on July 20, Turkey on July 21, and Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates on August 10. Barbie is scheduled to be released in Egypt on August 30, according to a statement by Safwat al-Helbawy, the head of a major Egyptian movie distribution company.
However, both Lebanon and Kuwait have moved to ban the movie, citing inappropriate themes that contradict their conservative values. It remains unclear where else across the region the movie may be released.
In some Middle Eastern countries, the originally planned July release date has been delayed to late August to allow the countries’ censorship authorities to review the movie and suggest edits.
The release of the movie on August 10 in both Saudi Arabia and the UAE suggests that their proposed changes were made.
“The UAE Media Council has granted the Barbie movie the approval to be screened in the UAE’s licensed cinemas after completing the necessary procedures in line with the standards of media content and the UAE age classification,” the UAE Media Council announced on Thursday.
The delay was most likely in response to perceived LGBTQ+ messaging in the film, which features no explicit LGBTQ+ content but does include several openly LGBTQ+ actors, including Kate McKinnon and Hari Nef. Directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the film’s wider themes of challenging patriarchy and promoting gender inclusion may be the real source of controversy in the predominantly traditional and religious region.
Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia also notably banned another summer blockbuster, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, likely due to a scene featuring a flag reading “Protect Trans Lives.”
Previous straight-to-video Barbie movies have been banned in Saudi Arabia for their portrayal of equal gender roles. By allowing Barbie to open, Saudi Arabia may be attempting to shape its global image as more culturally progressive, despite the challenge presented by the movie’s themes.
