Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming “Barbie” movie has been banned in Vietnam.
The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-led film is one of the most anticipated movies of the summer and would’ve originally opened in that country on July 21st.
According to Variety, the film contains a scene that depicts a map with the ‘nine dash line’. This represents China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea, which Vietnam says violates its sovereignty.
The U.N. disputes resolution tribunal in The Hague ruled unanimously against the validity of the nine dash line, but China has said it does not recognize the decision.
Vietnam Cinema Department director and Minister of Culture Vi Kien Thanh revealed on Monday that the ban was decided by the National Film Evaluation Council.
The state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper says: “We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line.”
This is not the first time this has happened with the DreamWorks animated film “Abominable” in 2019 and Sony’s “Uncharted” film adaptation both banned for the same reason.
“Barbie” meanwhile will open in cinemas around the world from July 21st.
