KUWAIT CITY — The Barbie film has been banned in Kuwait and faces calls for a ban in Lebanon amid criticism in the Arab world of the movie's social values.

Kuwait acted to protect "public ethics", the state news agency said. Lebanon's culture minister accused the film of "promoting homosexuality".

The blockbuster has grossed over $1bn worldwide within weeks of its release.

Lafi al-Subaiei, the head of Kuwait's board of film classification, said that usually the board asks for movie scenes deemed to flout his country's culture to be cut.

But when they promote behavior the state thinks is unacceptable, they are banned outright.

The film "promulgate[s] ideas and beliefs that are alien to Kuwaiti society and public order", a spokesman for the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information said.

On Wednesday, Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada asked the interior ministry to "take all necessary measures to ban" Barbie.

He said the film "promotes homosexuality and transsexuality... supports rejecting a father's guardianship, undermines and ridicules the role of the mother, and questions the necessity of marriage and having a family".

Following Mortada's call, the Lebanese interior minister and state judge Bassam Mawlawi asked the country's censorship committee to review the film.

The minister is supported by the Hezbollah movement. Last month its leader said homosexuality posed an "imminent danger" to Lebanese society and called on authorities to ban events that are seen the promote it.

The film has also fallen foul of censors elsewhere, including in Vietnam for featuring a map showing a contested Chinese territorial claim in the South China Sea.

Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the movie tells a coming-of-age story of the children's character where she explores her identity and encourages fellow Mattel Inc dolls to express individuality. — BBC