Barbie has been highly anticipated for months, with fans speculating about everything from the cast to the soundtrack and even the plot, which has been held tightly under wraps. When an official trailer finally dropped, one aspect caused so much controversy that the release of the film was banned in Vietnam.
One image depicts Margot Robbie’s Barbie as she talks to Kate Mckinnon’s character. Behind her is a childlike drawing of a world map, supposedly depicting Barbie’s journey into the human world. According to Vietnamese officials, the map depicts the South China Sea and the nine-dash line.
This depiction demonstrates China’s claim to that area, which is disputed by Vietnam as well as other countries in the region including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Vietnam claims that this image is illegal and violated their sovereignty, however, representatives at Warner Bros. refute any accusation of an intentional political statement.
They shared with Variety that the image is, “a childlike crayon drawing” and “The doodles depict Barbie’s make-believe journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world.’ It was not intended to make any type of statement.”
Despite the controversy, Screen Rant predicts Barbie‘s opening weekend to amass $93 million. The highly anticipated film has gained traction all over TikTok and Instagram and has expanded its marketing tactics to limited edition products with Xbox, Homesick, Coldstone, and of course Mattel.
Excited fans can see the movie starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrara, and so many others on July 21 only in theaters.