The Algerian government has banned the American fantasy film Barbie, which had been showing in some cinemas in the country for weeks, local outlet 24H Algerie reported on Monday.
According to the channel, the Ministry of Culture and Arts has ordered distributors and theaters to remove the film “immediately” from their programs because it is “damaging morals.”
An official source is quoted by Reuters as saying that the film “promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances,” which “does not comply with Algeria’s religious and cultural beliefs.”
Since its July-21 release, the blockbuster film starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken has surpassed $1 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced on Sunday.
In Algeria, it has been seen by more than 40,000 movie-goers since its debut, according to 24H Algerie, which cited a source from the culture ministry in charge of overseeing movie content in the country.
Algeria’s removal of the movie follows that of Middle East countries Kuwait and Lebanon, which have banned the film.
The Lebanese culture ministry pushed to outlaw Barbie from cinemas last week, with minister Muhammad Al-Murtada also claiming it “promotes homosexuality” and contradicts religious values.
Kuwait justified the decision to censor Barbie –as well as the supernatural horror film Talk to Me– as a means of protecting “public ethics and social traditions.”