The new Barbie movie that features WWE superstar John Cena has inflamed controversy and received a ban in Vietnam because it includes a scene that portrays a map showing China’s disputed territorial claims.
The contentious “nine-dash line” mapping out China’s borders in the South China Sea is the issue at hand, a depiction Vietnam takes issue with leading to the film’s ban.
This controversy stems from the ongoing dispute between Vietnam and China over territorial claims in the South China Sea. Observers see this ban as Vietnam’s response to the movie’s controversial map inclusion. It’s not the first time Vietnam has banned a film due to the South China Sea dispute.
Vietnam has consistently leveled accusations against Chinese vessels for breaches of its sovereignty. Furthermore, China has been proactively escalating its military presence, exemplified in the Spratly Islands where they have constructed islands equipped with runways and missiles atop the reefs. (Via The Press Democrat)
Due to disputes over map representations, the Vietnamese government made a conscious decision to block DreamWorks’ cartoon “Abominable” in 2019, while Sony’s action film “Uncharted” faced similar restrictions the following year.
Barbie movie box office projection after the ban in Vietnam
Box office projections predict that the Barbie movie will open strongly this weekend, with estimates ranging between $70 million and possibly over a whopping $100 million.
Despite the movie’s ban in Vietnam, financial analysts expect its impact to be minor due to relatively low earnings from other films in the country.
Movies such as “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” earned just $4.3 million and $11.6 million respectively in Vietnam. This figure pales when compared to global box office hauls of these films, which underpins the belief that the ban will not greatly dent Barbie movie’s profit.
Predictions point to Barbie outperforming Oppenheimer, another film slated for release on the same day. Many anticipate Barbie appealing to a broad audience, including diverse audiences as well as young women under 25 in particular. Furthermore, Barbie, with its PG-13 rating, should draw a wider crowd than the R-rated Oppenheimer, thus raising the projections for a higher opening.