We have some excellent news for our fellow girlies based in the region, especially those who weren’t fortunate enough to watch Barbie in local theatres. STARZPLAY is bringing the biggest blockbuster of the year online (!!) Yes, that means you can finally watch Barbie from the comfort of your own home, by streaming it on STARZPLAY.

The star-studded blockbuster, directed by Greta Gerwig, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken – alongside Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Sharon Rooney among other Barbies and Kens. In the Real World, America Ferrera and Ariana Greenblatt portray our human heroes – and Will Ferrell, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, and others play the Mattel business moguls.

Upon sign-up, new and returning subscribers to STARZPLAY can enjoy complimentary access to the movie until October 8.

barbie

August: We have some (not so) fantastic news for our gals in Lebanon and Kuwait: Barbie the movie might be banned in both countries.

In Lebanon’s case, the Culture Minister stated that the film is not in alignment with the country’s cultural and religious values. In Kuwait, Barbie might also be banned on the grounds that the film contradicts the nation’s public ethics and social traditions.

We’re sending our support to all the Lebanese and Kuwaiti Barbies out there as we still hope for the best.

August 6- Besties, we have some *exciting* news to share – Barbie the movie is officially set for release on August 10 across VOX Cinemas theatres in the UAE! After having been postponed to August 31, the film is finally getting the justice it deserves, earlier than expected. Tickets go on-sale TONIGHT: Come on Barbies, let’s go party (!!)

As of August 4th, the UAE Media Council has officially approved the iconic movie’s screening in UAE cinemas. Although there were rumours that Barbie would be banned from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain – we’re excited to share that the approval came after the council completed follow-up procedures making sure the film was in line with the standards of the Middle East’s media content.

Prep your pink outfits girls because it’s finally happening (!!)

July 31st – Times are tough for cinephiles in the UAE, especially us girlies who love pink. Firstly, we’re only *8339 miles* away from the dazzling world premiere of Barbie in Los Angeles – and the likes of Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, and Dua Lipa have graced the ~pink carpet~.

But to make matters worse, the only thing keeping us going, our knowledge that the film would release in the UAE on July 20, has abruptly been taken away from us.

Barbie

Via @voxcinemas on Instagram

Alas, the official VOX Cinemas website has confirmed the rumours of the movie’s delay in UAE theaters, pushing the highly-anticipated ~pinktastic~ blockbuster to a later release date on August 31. But what went wrong? And does the Barbieheimer meme have anything to do with it?

Oppenheimer, written and directed by Christopher Nolan

Barbie vs. Oppenheimer

Ah, yes… the infamous Barbieheimer meme. The worldwide phenomenon, of course, alludes to the feud between Greta Gerwig’s Barbie enthusiasts and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer film bros caused by the films’ concurrent release dates. We can’t seem to understand why such a fan feud would exist in the first place since the movies are two *entirely* different worlds: Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is a pinktastic extravaganza, while Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon, is a biopic on nuclear weapons. We love the film junkies’ enthusiasm, though.

Barbie, written and directed by Greta Gerwig

But as shown in its official trailer, the Warner Bros Pictures movie is marketed to anyone and everyone, doll lovers and haters alike. We’re not sure we can say the same for Oppenheimer, which is *lightyears* away from ~life in plastic~.

And although we don’t know the *exact* reasons why the UAE has prioritized Oppenheimer, we suspect that some of Barbie‘s content was not as compatible with “the ethical values of the UAE.” As you may recall, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have banned Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse from theaters altogether for seemingly similar reasons.

What we *can* say for sure is that the film bros have won this time, and Oppenheimer is set to release in UAE theaters on July 20, that is, our pink movie’s initial release date. Talk about feeling replaced…

Via @NolanAnalyst on Twitter

Barbie’s alleged ban in a bunch of Arab countries, including the UAE…

Not too long ago, we clung onto the hope that Barbie would release on August 31 in UAE cinemas. We were even considering booking the next flight to a neighbouring Arab country out of sheer impatience. But it seems that there’s no escape and that a ban across Arab cinemas at large is (allegedly) inevitable.

According to MovSto, Saudi Arabia’s largest cinema and entertainment platform, the movie has (officially – as per their tweet) been banned in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Oman.

Things aren’t looking up for Barbie enthusiasts in the Arab world. Only time will tell if UAE cinemas officially remove Barbie from their soon-to-be-released films. Let’s wait and see.

In the meantime, you can book your tickets for Oppenheimer (July 20) here.