The film “Barbie”, which is a hit in Western box offices, is no longer available in the few cinemas in activity in Algeria. Broadcast for three weeks, the film ended up being discreetly withdrawn from the screens for “attacking morality”, according to local media.
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The adventures of the famous Mattel doll are no longer welcome in Algeria. The country withdrew the film “Barbie” from its cinemas for “attacking morality”, after its theatrical release on July 19, several media in this Maghreb country said.
According to the online news site 24H Algerie, which cites “well-informed sources”, the film has been canceled from all theaters in the country for “attacking morality”.
On Sunday, theater owners changed schedules by removing Greta Gerwig’s film, without giving reasons.
Read alsoIn Lebanon, the Christian and Muslim establishments united against the film “Barbie”
“Scenes intended for an adult audience”
The distributor also announced the deprogramming of the film, without providing details.
“Algeria ended up being won over by the Barbie controversy because of scenes intended for an adult audience” and allusions to homosexuality, explained the TSA news site.
Nearly 48 hours after this deprogramming, the Algerian Ministry of Culture, which usually announces film bans specifying the reasons, is still silent.
Last Thursday, Kuwait banned it for “undermining public morals”.
Soaring Barbie sales
The day before, the Lebanese Ministry of Culture said it had called for its ban, believing that it was “promoting homosexuality”, against a backdrop of rhetoric hostile to sexual minorities growing in one of the most liberal countries of the Middle East. East.
“Barbie” is still not broadcast in Qatar, which however has not made an official announcement on this subject.
Almost a month after its release, the movie “Barbie” is still leading the North American box office and has exceeded $1 billion at the global box office.
Already a cultural phenomenon, this big-budget production, which was the subject of an intense marketing campaign, led to a wave of shades of pink in the world – clothes, various accessories, roller skates, etc.
The release of “Barbie” also caused a surge in sales of dolls from the American group Mattel.
With AFP
Source: France 24
