Barbie (2023)

Barbie is a 2023 fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig from a screenplay she wrote with Noah Baumbach. Based on the eponymous fashion dolls by Mattel, it is the first live-action Barbie film after numerous computer-animated films and specials. The film stars Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, and follows the pair on a journey of self-discovery following an existential crisis. The supporting cast includes America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.

A live-action Barbie film was announced in September 2009 by Universal Pictures with Laurence Mark producing. Development began in April 2014, when Sony Pictures acquired the film rights. Following multiple writer and director changes and the casting of Amy Schumer and later Anne Hathaway as Barbie, the rights were transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2018. Robbie was cast in 2019, after Gal Gadot turned down the role due to scheduling conflicts, and Gerwig was announced as director and co-writer with Baumbach in 2020. The rest of the cast was announced in early 2022, with principal photography occurring primarily at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden, in England and at the Venice Beach Skatepark in Los Angeles from March to July of that year.

Barbie premiered at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023, and was released in the United States on July 21. Its simultaneous release with Universal's Oppenheimer led to the "Barbenheimer" cultural phenomenon, which encouraged audiences to see both films as a double feature. The film received critical acclaim and has grossed $1.44 billion, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023, the highest-grossing film by a solo female director and by Warner Bros., as well as the 14th highest-grossing film of all time, and the highest-grossing comedy film of all time. It was named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and received other accolades, including nominations for twelve Grammy Awards, nine Golden Globe Awards, and a record-breaking eighteen Critics' Choice Awards.

Cast

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Music

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International versions

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Vietnam
On July 3, the film was banned in Vietnam due to the depiction of a map which featured what appeared to be a “child-like crayon drawing” of China's nine-dash line, which is used by China to indicate its controversial territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Middle East
Most Middle Eastern countries took issue with the inclusion of queer actors in the cast, including transgender actress Hari Nef, as well as the film's feminist themes, though the film itself does not contain any overt references to same-sex relationships or LGBT themes. Homosexuality is seen as highly taboo (and illegal in half of the countries) in the region, with the exception of Israel.

On August 9, the film was banned in Kuwait over ‘public ethics’ concerns. That same day, Lebanon's Minister of Culture proposed that the film be banned in the country for "[promoting] homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "[contradicting] values of faith and morality" by "diminishing the importance of the family unit". However, the film was approved for release on September 1, and eventually released in Lebanese theaters on September 7.

In October, the release of translated versions of the film, whether subtitled or dubbed, was banned in Iran by the Iranian AudioVisual Media Regulatory Authority. The film had previously received a Persian dub by Sahar Dub Studio and a dub by AlphaMedia Studio was in production, with the latter having to be canceled due to the ban.

Algeria
On August 13, the film was banned in Algeria three weeks after its release in the country, on grounds that it “promoted homosexuality and other Western deviances”.

Pakistan
On July 21, the Punjab censorship board in the Punjab province of Pakistan imposed a ban on Barbie over "objectional content". However, the ban was lifted a few hours later,but then cancelled again. However,certain cinemas released barbie in punjab which did not rely on the Punjab censor board. Eventually, the Punjab censor board finally unbanned the Barbie film in all cinemas in Punjab, and the film premiered in Punjab along with other provinces.