If there’s one topic the internet cannot stop tweeting about, it’s certainly Margot Robbie’s cosplay of Barbie as part of her casting as lead role in Greta Gerwig’s interpretation of the American doll’s iconic character. As the pink fever continues to spread like wildfire, two countries are seemingly less eager to join in on the excitement, namely Egypt and the UAE, who have both unexpectedly taken the decision to postpone the screening of the much-anticipated feature, which was set to hit theatres on July 21.
Expected to break box office records around the world, it seems as if the two countries are holding back, for reasons that still remain unclear.
First to have surprisingly declared the postponement of the movie, UAE officials are making fans wait another six-weeks before they are able to immerse themselves in Barbie Land on Aug. 31. While no statement has been released by the authorities yet, some industry insiders are suggesting that the decision could be linked to wanting to extend the run of Christopher McQuarrie’s action-packed Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning — Part One a little longer.
Meanwhile, other sources are speculating that the delay could come as a result of concerns over the movie’s compatibility with the “ethical values of the UAE,” following a similar pattern seen with the recent ban of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in the Gulf State for failing to meet stringent viewership requirements.
Soon after, Egypt decided to follow in the exact same steps by also postponing Barbie’s official release date in cinemas, for reasons that still remain undisclosed but could also be linked to similar reasons as the ones mentioned above regarding the UAE.
Unfortunately, the delays mean that UAE and Egypt moviegoers are unable to participate in the cinematic event of the century, “Barbieheimer,” a viral trend taking the internet by storm that alludes to the concurrent global release dates of Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the creation of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer.
As the sudden moves still remain points of curiosity for fans and moviegoers, local audiences are impatiently waiting for statements that will shed light on the precise reasons behind the delays while also focusing on securing tickets for the eventual release. In the meantime, you can book your tickets for Oppenheimer in advance online.
