One of the most anticipated movies of the summer has just been banned in one country.
Barbie and Ken will not be on the big screen in Vietnam because of one scene in the movie that depicts a map.
The map shows a “nine-dash line,” which is used by China to claim its territories in the South China Sea. The country claims it owns about 90% of the South China Sea, reports Time.
The nine-dash line was “repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016,” according to Reuters. “China refuses to recognize the ruling.”
Vietnam says the map violates its sovereignty.
Variety reports Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said that the ban was decided by the National Film Evaluation Council. He made that announcement on Monday.
This isn’t the first time the U-shaped “nine-dash line” has caused a film to be banned in Vietnam.
DreamWork’s animated film “Abominable” was banned by the government in 2019. Sony’s action film “Unchartered” was pulled last year for the same reason. In 2021, the marking caused Netflix to removed the Australian spy drama “Pine Gap.”
“Barbie” hits theaters on July 21.
