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☆ Lebanon approves 'Barbie' film for release after bid to ban it
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A boy stands near an advertising billboard of the movie 'Barbie' at a cinema theatre, as Lebanon approved the film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it, in Beirut, Lebanon September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Lebanon on Friday approved the "Barbie" film to be screened in cinemas following an initial attempt to ban it by its culture minister over claims it contradicts conservative values. Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi in turn asked General Security's censorship committee to review the film and give its recommendation. Kuwait has banned "Barbie" and supernatural horror film "Talk to Me" to protect "public ethics and social traditions", the state news agency said last month. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Barbie doll on an adventure into the real world.

Persons: Emilie Madi, Mohammad Mortada, Bassam Mawlawi, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Nour Hajjar, Maya Gebeily, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, General Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Rights BEIRUT, Kuwait, Lebanese

☆ Algeria bans 'Barbie' movie, media and official source say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Margot Robbie attends the European premiere of "Barbie" in London, Britain July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File PhotoALGIERS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Algeria has banned the movie "Barbie," which had been showing at some cinemas in the country for several weeks, an official source and the local 24H Algerie news site said on Monday. The official source said the film "promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances" and that it "does not comply with Algeria's religious and cultural beliefs." Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) doll on an adventure into the real world. Reporting by Lamine Chikhi, writing by Angus McDowall, editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Margot Robbie, Maja Smiejkowska, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Lamine Chikhi, Angus McDowall, Sandra Maler Organizations: REUTERS, Ministry, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, ALGIERS, Algeria, Algerie, Lebanon, Kuwait

☆ Lebanon moves to ban 'Barbie' film for 'promoting homosexuality'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Lebanon's culture minister moved to ban the film "Barbie" from cinemas on Wednesday, saying it "promotes homosexuality" and contradicts religious values. Mortada's decision said the film was found to "promote homosexuality and sexual transformation" and "contradicts values of faith and morality" by diminishing the importance of the family unit. Lebanon was the first Arab country to hold a gay pride week in 2017 and has generally been seen as a safe haven for the LGBT community in the broadly conservative Middle East. Mawlawi last year took a decision to ban events "promoting sexual perversion" in Lebanon, understood to refer to LGBT-friendly gatherings. In a speech last month, Nasrallah called on Lebanese authorities to take action against materials he deemed to be promoting homosexuality, including by "banning" them.

Persons: Mohammad Mortada, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mortada's, Bassam Mawlawi, Mawlawi, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Bechara Boutros, Rai, Ayman Mhanna, Samir Kassir, Mhanna, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Toby Chopra, Nick Macfie Organizations: Hezbollah, Reuters, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon

☆ Warner Bros movie 'Barbie' ticket sales top $1 billion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

NEW YORK, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Box-office ticket sales of the movie "Barbie" topped $1 billion in the United States and worldwide since its debut more than two weeks ago, Warner Bros. Pictures, a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD.O), announced on SundayIn a statement, Warner Bros. said the movie took in $459 million from domestic theaters and another $572.1 million overseas over the weekend, for a total of $1.0315 billion. "As distribution chiefs, we're not often rendered speechless by a film's performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water," said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution. "Barbie" ticket sales ranked second this year to "The Super Mario Bros," which was released in April and raked in a total of $1.357 billion at the box office. Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: we're, Jeff Goldstein, Andrew Cripps, Oscar, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Barbie, Ken, Mattel, Mario Bros, Gertrude Chavez, Dreyfuss, Leslie Adler Organizations: Warner Bros . Pictures, Warner Bros ., Warner Bros, Thomson Locations: United States

☆ 'Barbenheimer' box office sales keep rolling in second weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Nicholas P. Brown | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 30 (Reuters) - Warner Bros' (WBD.O) "Barbie" showed no signs of slowing down in its second weekend at the box office, and was set to haul in $93 million in ticket sales Friday through Sunday, according to estimates from media analytics firm Comscore. 1 movie, and the highest-grossing opening weekend for a film directed by a woman - has made more than $351 million in the U.S. and Canada since opening on July 21, and nearly $775 million globally, Comscore reported. The two films together have been dubbed "Barbenheimer," a nod to the relative rarity of two blockbusters opening the same weekend. Their combined sales are "absolutely mind blowing," Dergarabedian said, with second-weekend numbers that "would have been hailed as opening weekend wins." Universal's Oppenheimer has made $174 million in the U.S. and Canada so far, and $400 million worldwide.

Persons: Barbie, Greta Gerwig's, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Ynon, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's, Robert Oppenheimer, Paul Dergarabedian, Dergarabedian, Universal's Oppenheimer, Robbie, Nicholas P, Brown, Peter Henderson, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Warner Bros, Mattel, Hollywood, Guild of America, SAG, Thomson Locations: U.S, Canada

☆ Everything's pink: How Barbiecore fashion has fueled a movie's buzz
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Lisa Richwine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

There are Barbie sneakers, Barbie backpacks, Barbie swimsuits, and Barbie hoodies for your dog. A few months later, photos showed Barbie movie star Margot Robbie on set in a hot pink Western jumpsuit. As the style took off, fashion magazines chronicled celebrities from Kim Kardashian to Harry Styles in bright Barbiecore outfits. Barbie-inspired foods include an ice cream flavor and a Barbie burger with pink sauce sold at Burger King in Brazil. Robbie, who rotated through Barbie-inspired looks during the movie's publicity tour, even rolled pink suitcases through the airport in Sydney.

Persons: Mattel Inc's, Barbie, Barbie swimsuits, Barbie hoodies, Richard Dickson, Couture, Valentino, Margot Robbie, Madeline Hirsch, Hirsch, Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Kendra Scott, Dreamhouse, Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Ken, Rich Daughtridge, Christopher Nolan's, Oppenheimer, Tom Cruise's, Filmgoers, Jeff Bock, Bock, Lisa Richwine, Rollo Ross, Sarah Mills, Mary Milliken, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Mattel, InStyle, Balmain, Old Navy, Microsoft, Burger King, Warner Bros, Malibu, Party, Relations, Thomson Locations: ANGELES, French, Burger, Brazil, Sydney, Barbiecore, Maryland, flamingo, Los Angeles, London

☆ Mattel reannounces recall of Rock 'n Play sleepers after more infant deaths
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 9 (Reuters) - Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) Fisher-Price brand on Monday reannounced the recall of about 4.7 million "Rock 'n Play" sleepers, following at least eight more deaths that occurred after the original recall in 2019. The product was launched in 2009 and first recalled a decade later after more than 30 infant fatalities were reported. A total of about 100 deaths have reportedly occurred while infants were in the sleepers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said on Monday. Fisher-Price has been unable to confirm the circumstances of the deaths or whether the product was a "Rock 'n Play" sleeper in some of the reports, the CPSC said. Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Cameo launches Cameo Kids personalized videos with Candle Media
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Dec 8 (Reuters) - Celebrity video messaging service Cameo said Thursday it has partnered with Candle Media to launch a new feature aimed at the playground set -- Cameo Kids. The service will offer personalized birthday and holiday video greetings from animated children's characters, including popular figures from Candle Media's Moonbug Entertainment's franchises "Blippi" and "CoComelon." Personalized messages for children expand the potential market for Cameo, which launched five years ago and allows athletes, celebrities and musicians to sell personalized videos to their fans. Cameo had experimented with offering children's content about a year ago, working with Mattel Inc's (MAT.O) 'Thomas the Tank Engine,' but its partnership with Candle Media helped elevate the experience, Galanis said. Blackstone-backed Candle Media spent months figuring out how to use its animated characters to deliver personalized video at scale.

☆ Investors look for clues on consumer health as holiday shopping kicks off
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( David Randall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

NEW YORK, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Investors are closely watching U.S. retail stocks as a barometer of consumer confidence as inflation bites, as the most important shopping season of the year begins on Friday. That would come in below both the 13.5% jump reported last year, and the 9.3% gain in 2020. Expectations for purchasing long-lasting manufactured goods fell 21% due to high interest rates and high prices, the survey found. Shares of Walmart are up 7.5% for the month to date, while shares of Target are down 1.2%. Kohl's, meanwhile, withdrew its forecast as it faces weakening demand due to rising prices.

Reuters GraphicsMelissa Benhaim, a 32-year old publicist in Miami, started her holiday shopping slightly later than usual this year. A Saturday shopping day between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year gives shoppers extra time to hold out for better bargains. Holiday shopping is expected to slow broadly. Reuters GraphicsBut toy prices, even with discounts, are up about 2.4%, DataWeave found. Shoppers are paying $16.99 for the toy this year at Kohl's, after discounts, compared to $11.54 last year, according to DataWeave.

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