The 'Barbie' movie is an absolute crowd-pleaser. But not everyone in the world is on board with it. Because the nation of Kuwait has banned the movie over gender and sexuality themes.
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00:00 Kuwait bans Barbie over gender and sexuality themes, Lebanon moves to do the same.
00:09 The blockbuster film opens across the Middle East on August 10th.
00:14 On August 9th, Kuwait announced that the movie would be banned, NBC News reports.
00:22 Officials say that Barbie promotes "ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti
00:26 society and public order," according to state news agency KUNA.
00:31 Lebanese cultural minister Mohamed Mortada would also like to see the film banned, saying
00:37 it was found to "contradict values of faith and morality" and promote "homosexuality
00:42 and sexual transformation," as NBC News reports.
00:45 His request was sent to Lebanon's General Security Agency, which will make the final
00:49 decision.
00:52 Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Lebanon are in uproar over the potential ban.
00:58 But the country's relative tolerance has diminished in recent years due to the influence of Islamist
01:02 and far-right Christian groups, as NBC News reports.
01:07 While Barbie does not dramatically flaunt sexuality, it does include LGBTQ+ cast members
01:12 Kate McKinnon and Harry Neff.
01:16 Barbie has already grossed over $1 billion worldwide.
01:28 (upbeat music)