Warner In Trouble! Barbie Movie Gets 12A Rating, Unsuitable For Children

Barbie’s live-action movie continues to be the talk of the town; now it’s about its rating. The iconic doll will leap live-action and will face obstacles before its release. First, Vietnam banned the movie in its territory because they placed a scene with a map with dotted lines.

The United Kingdom announced the film’s content, highlighting that it contains content that young people should watch with their parents. According to government spokespersons, the film will have a 12A rating. This implies certain restrictions on viewing the film.

Barbie Gets 12A Rating for Content Unsuitable for Children

Image via Warner Bros.

The movie Doll for Girls does not have content suitable for all audiences. At least that’s what the British Board of Film Classification thinks, which gave Barbie movie a 12A rating. This implies that in order for a child under 12 to watch it, he or she must be accompanied by his or her parents.

The agency clarified the reason for this rating and stressed that it was because of the movie’s content. In some scenes, children can be seen burning this type of toy, as well as several characters fighting, throwing fists and kicking. They also made reference to the fact that in some parts, sugar daddies are mentioned.

Other problems that affected BBFC’s rating of the Barbie movie were the offensive comments. Some conversations make strong references to death. There are also mentions of mental problems, depression and other elements that are not healthy for younger viewers.

There is also the scene in the trailer in which a man slaps Barbie on the buttock, causing the doll to respond with a blow. In this case, there are two problems that the BBFC pointed out. The first one that affects the rating is the physical aggression that Barbie suffers in the movie due to the sexual aggression that denotes this type of action. The scene is as follows:

“A man slaps a woman’s bottom, however, his behavior is immediately challenged and results in negative consequences”.

The film contains moderate language in general, as it is mostly free of obscene words. However, there are parts whose vocabulary is not the least, e.g. “motherfucker”, “bitch”.

Problems for Barbie Before its Release

Warner Bros

Barbie movie will hit theatres on July 21, 2023, and a few days before its release, it is facing complications with its rating. The first of the drawbacks is the 12A rating given by the UK government. This restriction could limit the audience in this region, significantly reducing revenues on the big screen.

There is also a ban on its transmission in Vietnam due to a scene showing the world map with the 9-dotted lines in the country mentioned above. The government declared that it violates its sovereignty, and while the scene is still there, this film will not be broadcast in this territory.

Warner Bros. has not commented anything for the moment. Although the major doesn’t have much to worry about, especially if we look at past cases. If we remember the Joker movie, with an R rating, it grossed over a billion dollars. 

The 12A rating in the UK would not affect box office issues so much, because from the beginning, Barbie was more of a youth film than a children’s film. Therefore, the rating given by this region may be more beneficial to the studio.

Featured Image Via Warner Bros. Pictures