Kuwait and Lebanon move to ban Barbie movie over gender and sexuality themes

Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie at the European premiere of Barbie (Ian West/PA)

Barbie is set to open across the Middle East but moves by Kuwait and Lebanon to ban the film over its themes on gender and sexuality have raised questions over how widely it will be released.

Kuwait announced its ban late on Wednesday, saying the film promotes “ideas and beliefs that are alien to the Kuwaiti society and public order” without elaborating, according to a statement published by the state-run KUNA news agency.