Breaking Down the Hollywood Discourse Surrounding ‘Barbie’: The Stans, The Backlash and More

Barbie has been banned in multiple countries following its release.Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the fantasy comedy has become the second highest-grossing film of 2023 worldwide behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, passing the $1billion mark earlier this month at the box office.The film’s success also crossed another milestone, becoming the highest-grossing live-action movie solely directed by a woman.Ahead of its release in July, Barbie was banned in Vietnam due to a scene featuring a map depicting China’s contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.As reported by Reuters, the scene shows “an offending image” of the “nine-dash line”, which is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over large areas of the South China Sea, which is contested by Vietnam.A number of films have recently been banned in the country for the same reason, including Sony’s Uncharted and Dreamworks’ animated film Abominable.Kuwait subsequently banned Barbie after the film promoted “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order”, according to Lafy Al-Subei’e, an under secretary of the Ministry for Press and Publication in the country (via the New York Times).Around the same time (August 9), Lebanon’s culture minister, Mohammad Mortada, made moves to ban Barbie, saying that the film was found to “promote homosexuality and sexual transformation”.

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After another weekend at the top of the box office, rumours are emerging that a “Barbie” sequel is in the works.

Like a lot of book-to-movie adaptations, not everything from the Red, White and Royal Blue novel made it into its film adaptation.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Now that “Barbie” has officially crossed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box office, speculation about a potential sequel has intensified tenfold. Greta Gerwig, who directed “Barbie” in addition to co-writing its script with Noah Baumbach, told The New York Times she has no ideas yet for a “Barbie 2.” However, she also told People magazine before the film joined the $1 billion club that she hoped her movie “is the launch of a world and a bunch of different Barbie movies.” “There’s a tone and a humor and a joy, and obviously the world is so beautiful,” Gerwig told the publication. “I want to go back to Barbie Land.” Margot Robbie was less assertive when asked about a “Barbie” sequel in pre-release interviews.

Stranger things have happened.Meghan Markle, 42, and Prince Harry, 38, have purchased the screen rights to the popular new release “Meet Me at the Lake” to turn it into a film for Netflix, The Post can confirm — and according to one PR expert, the project could “break records.” “Harry and Meghan are no strangers to attracting millions of eyes upon what they do and this will be no different,” publicity coach Mayah Riaz recently told The Mirror. “I believe the film could hit record number in the first week at the box office.”Riaz added that the numbers could even compare to Greta Gerwig’s recently released “Barbie” movie, which hit $1 billion in global ticket sales over the weekend.

Barbie might not be on the cards.According to The Hollywood Reporter, none of the talent involved in making the comedy are contractually obliged to return for a follow-up – including Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who played Barbie and Ken respectively.This is also said to apply to director Greta Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach. Speaking to the outlet, sources claim Warner Bros.

As Barbie breaks the box office, grossing over $1 billion globally, director Greta Gerwig has made history as the first solo female director to reach this impressive feat. Only 53 films have hit the billion-dollar category, with Barbie joining the likes of Titanic, Jurassic Park, and Avatar.The only other female-directed films on this list are Frozen, Frozen 2, and Captain Marvel.

nose best. New Yorker Alexandria Linton never much cared for the picture-perfect, pink-loving plaything.

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie movie has smashed box office records, becoming one of the most talked about films of the year. So it’s understandable, then, that fans of the director are already looking forward to her next project.Barbie, which is adapted from the popular Mattel toy franchise, was released in cinemas last Friday (July 21).

Spoiler warning.

blockbuster “Barbie” movie’s soundtrack includes colorful hits from Lizzo, Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, and Billie Eilish, but director Greta Gerwig also revealed that the film was originally intended to include a “fart opera.”“We’ve always tried to get in a proper fart joke and we’ve never done it,” Gerwig told IndieWire revealed about the secret mission she held with longtime editing collaborator Nick Houy to get their characters to pass gas when working together. But apparently there is no farting in Barbie Land.“We had like a fart opera in the middle [of ‘Barbie’]. I thought it was really funny.

Barbie director Greta Gerwig has responded to the right-wing backlash against the new film.Various right-wing commentators have criticised the film around its release. Among them was Texas senator Ted Cruz, who described it as “Chinese communist propaganda” due to its depiction of a disputed region in the South China Sea (via Business Insider).Ben Shapiro, meanwhile, branded it “one of the worst movies I have ever seen” and “angry, feminist claptrap that alienates men from women” in his YouTube review.In a new interview with The New York Times, Gerwig was asked whether she expected “the degree to which rightwing pundits are bashing the movie as being ‘woke’ and burning their Barbies”.The director responded: “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion.

“Barbie” director Greta Gerwig didn’t anticipate both the massive success of the fantastical film and the unprecedented right-wing backlash the film has received online.

the New York Times.“Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men,” said Gerwig.“I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people,” the director said.Gerwig was responding specifically to the interviewer’s question as to whether or not the “Lady Bird” director anticipated “the degree to which rightwing pundits are bashing the movie as being ‘woke’ and burning their Barbies.”Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro flamed the feminist themes in “Barbie” by lighting Barbie dolls and a pink toy car on fire at the start of a 43-minute YouTube review.

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Barbie director Greta Gerwig has a graceful approach when it comes to handling the blockbuster’s biggest critics.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Greta Gerwig told The New York Times that watching her “Barbie” movie become a historic comedy blockbuster has been “so amazing.” The film debuted to a whopping $162 million, breaking the opening weekend record for a female director. It then scored $26 million on its first Monday after release, setting a new Warner Bros. in-house record for the studio’s top Monday grosser.

Barbie is a box-office success and has been receiving positive reviews for its diversity, inclusion and positive message. However, certain political circles have taken aim at the Greta Gerwig-directed film and the director is giving her take on the backlash.

Barbie is on track to crossing the $200 million mark at the domestic box office today after just five days in theaters, so a sequel seems inevitable.