The film Barbie was banned in Russia because, according to the government, it was “not consistent with the goals set by the president.” Nevertheless, some cinemas in Moscow have prepared to secretly show the film.
While Barbie was one of the most watched films in the world and increased box office revenue in many countries, but there are also places where its screening is banned, such as Russia. The government refused to distribute the film because it might have conveyed inappropriate messages to the population. However, censorship was not enough and clandestine screenings of the film actually became widespread Greta Gerwig.
The government ban and the rebellion of some cinemas
Putin’s government therefore banned the normal screening of the film in major Russian cities, justifying this with the Culture Minister stating: “Not in line with our President’s goals of preserving and strengthening Russia’s traditional moral and spiritual values.” In an interview with Duma TV, Russian MP Maria Butina expressed her disappointment at the spread of a title that could be misleading for the population and support the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community: “I am categorically against the appearance of dolls promoting homosexual relationships in our stores“.
It’s a shame, however, that the citizens must not have liked this imposition, because Barbie began to become more and more popular – albeit secretly. It actually seems that some cinemas in Moscow have set themselves up to sell tickets to short films produced in Russia, but in reality, when you enter the cinema, the screening is completely different than you would expect: namely on the big screen Very colorful and pink images of Barbie appear, complete with Margot Robbie in the foreground. And so managers managed to counteract censorship and allow citizens, albeit secretly, to see what they want most.