Despite a brief delay and concerns that it might get banned, #Barbie will open this week in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
As Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” flies past $1 billion at the worldwide box office, the film has nabbed an official theatrical release in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Those are the two biggest regions in the Middle East in terms of overall theatrical box office. This follows a delay in several Middle Eastern countries from July 19 to Aug. 31.
That news spurred chatter that the Margot Robbie-Ryan Gosling blockbuster might get outright banned in the region. TheWrap has confirmed that it’s now set to open Thursday in Saudia Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The reason for the delay was reportedly related to LGBTQ-related narration and dialogue. While “Barbie” features several openly LGBTQ performers, such as Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Scott Evans and Hari Nef, the PG-13 feature contains little-to-no explicit LGBTQ content.
