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From Budapest to Bengaluru: UAE Barbie lovers travel abroad to catch the movie

As expats jet off for their summer holidays, they plan to immerse in the pink world elsewhere due to the delayed release date in the Emirates

Published: Mon 31 Jul 2023, 5:26 PM

Updated: Mon 31 Jul 2023, 10:29 PM

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Ryan Gosling, left, and Margot Robbie in a scene from 'Barbie.' Photo: AP

Ryan Gosling, left, and Margot Robbie in a scene from "Barbie." Photo: AP

Seven days after Greta Gerwig's pop sensation 'Barbie' hit the theatres, the film continues to break box office records. The fan frenzy over a movie based on a small plastic doll living in a perfect pink world, shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Dubai resident Ipshita is travelling to Budapest and the first on her to-do list is to watch the Barbie movie. “I had three Barbies (dolls) and I used my meager pocket money to buy them new clothes and accessories because I only got hand-me-downs,” she said.

Ipshita joins a growing number of residents catching the movie abroad as the UAE release date is still a few weeks away. After the initial postponement, currently, only the VOX Cinemas website has listed the release date on August 31.

Ipshita is planning a 'watch party'. "One of my friends is travelling to the US,” she said. “Another is already there, and we have decided to watch the movie at roughly the same time. We will then discuss it together. We have also decided to wear pink when we watch the movie."

There are several reasons why Ipshita is looking forward to her date with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starrer blockbuster. "I love Greta Gerwig," she said. "I think she's one of the most incredible directors of this generation. Barbie was used as a relatable toy that would be allowed in homes to sell the fact that women could be anything they wanted. And I love how she's using the pink stereotype to enhance that fact."

International trips

Dubai-based social media influencer Serah made a trip to Georgia, where she watched the movie. Dressed in a pink Barbie top, Serah posted a video of her posing in front of the pink décor adorned the theatre.

Another influencer M Shawash flew to Istanbul in Turkey to catch the movie's premiere. He posted about being a cinephile and not wanting to miss out on the Barbie experience.

Going home for summer holidays

Many UAE residents who were travelling to India for the summer vacation also took advantage of their trips to catch the movie in theatres. For journalism student Hizana Khathoon, it was a chance to dress up in pink with her friends and watch a movie in Bengaluru. “We are all big-time Barbie fans, and we couldn’t miss the chance to watch the movie in the theatre,” she said. “We really enjoyed the movie and the experience.”

Another Dubai resident Husna took a group of kids for the movie while holidaying in her hometown of Kozhikode. “I took my kids, nieces, and nephews,” she said. “We all dressed in pink to get into the pink-pop mood. I thought we would be the only ones in pink, but half the theatre was dressed in the same colour. There were people with blonde hair, frocks, and skirts looking almost exactly like Barbie.”

She enjoyed the movie. “It is about gender equality and human feelings,” she said. “There was some inappropriate language, but I wasn’t too worried. Even my son, who is 5, enjoyed the colours, the dream house, and so on.”

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