‘Barbie’ has been pulled from Algerian theaters due to purported moral violations, joining an increasing number of Arab nations that have banned the blockbuster movie.
Barbie, which has earned over USD 1.2 billion globally, debuted in Algeria on July 19 before being abruptly pulled from theaters’ schedules on Sunday.
The movie’s North African distributor similarly made an announcement about its withdrawal without providing a justification. According to reliable sources cited by the online news outlet 24H Algerie, the movie was taken down for “violating morals.”
“Algeria has become embroiled in controversy over Barbie due to scenes intended for adult audiences” and allusions to homosexuality, the news site TSA reported. It said the film was “discreetly withdrawn from cinemas.”
Despite being eagerly awaited by LGBTQ communities all around the world, the movie makes no overt allusions to same-sex couples or queer themes.
The culture ministry of Algeria, which generally announces movie prohibitions along with their justifications, has been silent thus far.
The decision to stop showing Barbie in the nation is in line with previous actions throughout the area. According to officials, Kuwait banned the movie on Thursday due to worries over “public ethics”.
