‘Barbie’ movie to screen in UAE theaters on August 10, bookings open

The UAE will screen the Barbie movie in theaters on August 10, two weeks ahead of expected release.

Local theaters including VOX Cinemas, Reel Cinemas and Roxy Cinemas opened pre-orders ahead of the Thursday release.

The UAE Media Council cleared the movie for public viewing on August 3 after weeks of speculation over a likely ban on the film in view of its delayed release in the country.

“The UAE Media Council has granted the ‘Barbie’ movie the approval to be screened in the UAE’s licensed cinemas after completing the necessary procedures in line with the standards of media content and the UAE age classification,” the authority said.

Online bookings for the film at local theaters specified that it was for viewers over 15 years of age.

The movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was initially scheduled for release on July 20, in line with its global screening dates. However, in July, theaters in the UAE changed the screening date to August 31, sparking rumors of a ban. No reason was given for the delay.

Director Greta Gerwig’s take on ‘Barbie’ — one of the year’s most anticipated movie alongside Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, and the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film directed by a woman — has made more than $351 million in the US and Canada since opening on July 21, and nearly $775 million globally, media analytics firm Comscore reported earlier.

The UAE, like other GCC countries, restricts screening of movies if it does not adhere to strict cultural and religious norms.

For instance, the Gulf state did not release the highly anticipated “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in June, and in 2022, it had banned Walt Disney-Pixar’s animated feature film “Lightyear” from screening in cinemas because it featured characters in a same-sex relationship.