<img src="https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&amp;c2=36750692&amp;cv=3.6.0&amp;cj=1"> ‘Barbie’ Suffers Early Box Office Blow After Being Banned in Vietnam Over Territorial Dispute
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
Your details are incorrect, or aren't in our system yet. Please try again, or sign up if you're new here.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Create a GAMURS
By g up, you agree to our and of Service.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Choose a name
Choose a unique name using 3-30 alphanumeric characters.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Choose your preferences
Choose how we communicate with you, opt out at anytime.
Something went wrong. Try again, or if the problem persists.
Check your email
An confirmation link was sent to your email. Don't forget to check your spam!
Enter the email address you used when you ed and we'll send you instructions to reset your .
If you used Apple or Google to create your , this process will create a for your existing .
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and of Service apply.
Reset instructions sent. If you have an with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or if the problem persists.
Photo via Warner Bros. Pictures

‘Barbie’ suffers early box office blow after being banned in Vietnam over territorial dispute

'Oppenheimer' will take the belt in one market, at least.

Vietnam has blocked the release of Barbie, the incoming Greta Gerwig-helmed fantasy comedy film, from being released in its cinemas.

Recommended Videos

Per Variety, the decision came after officials noticed that a scene in the film contained a map of the world with the “nine-dash line,” a map segment that indicates certain territorial claims by China in the South China Sea. Claims that have frequently been disputed by Vietnam, as well as other Asian states such as Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The film was set to receive its Vietnamese release on July 23, two days after its North American bow.

A 2016 arbitral tribunal undertaken by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea decreed that the nine-dash line is not recognized by wider global law and that China has no legal or historical basis to lay claim to the geographical contents of the nine-dash line. Rulings of this nature, however, haven’t done much to stop China in the past, and territorial disputes still continue to this day. All in all, it remains a hot-button issue for Vietnam and the wider Asian community, and judging by how the country has come down on Barbie, it seems there’s very little wiggle room for anything resembling even acknowledgment of the nine-dash line.

Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, Barbie follows the existential plight of the two dolls who ditch Barbie Land and take off for the real world, hoping to find themselves outside of the restrictive walls of their homeland.

Barbie is due in theaters on July 21.


We Got This Covered is ed by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small commission. Learn more about our Policy
Author
Image of Charlotte Simmons
Charlotte Simmons
Charlotte is a freelance writer for We Got This Covered, a graduate of St. Thomas University's English program, a fountain of film opinions, and probably the single biggest fan of Peter Jackson's 'King Kong.' She has written professionally since 2018, and will tackle an idiosyncratic TikTok story with just as much gumption as she does a film review.