Greta Gerwig's Barbie has already been mired by a series of controversies before its theatrical release. The film has been banned in Vietnam, with the Philippines also threatening to follow.
The trailer for Barbie featured a controversial map that, according to Vietnam officials, represents the "nine-dash line", a disputed territorial marking that violates Vietnamese sovereignty. As a result, the film will not be allowed in theaters across the country. The Philippines announced that it will be reviewing the movie after several senators called out the controversial map.
For context, several countries including Vietnam and the Philippines, are embroiled in a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. China's historic-rights claim in the contested waters is represented by the "nine-dash line".
Warner Bros has defended the movie saying that the map in question is a "child-like" drawing. The company said that the map represents a make-believe journey by the titular character.
"The map in Barbie Land is a whimsical, child-like crayon drawing," Warner Bros Pictures said in a statement to Variety. "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."