"Wonder Woman" is earning rave reviews, and eyeing a global box office debut north of $175 million, but Lebanon is going to be left out of the fun.
The Lebanese group Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon pushed for the nation to ban "Wonder Woman" because star Gal Gadot is Israeli and served in the Israel Defense Forces. The official ban was announced on May 31, and confirmed by various outlets.
#WonderWoman has been banned in #Lebanon.
— Grand Cinemas (@GCLebanon) May 31, 2017
As Variety reported, the ban was decided by a six-member committee of the Ministry of Economy, and the result was considered somewhat surprising because the same anti-Israeli organization had tried and failed to pull "Batman v. Superman," which also featured Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Also, Gadot's other major films -- "Fast & Furious 6" and "Furious 7," and "Triple 9" and "Knight & Day" -- all played in Lebanon and were popular there. Maybe it's different now that she has the lead role.
According to Deadline, "Lebanon is officially at war with Israel and has a law that boycotts Israeli products and bars Lebanese citizens from traveling or having contact with Israelis. The boycott group has indicated on its Facebook page that Gadot is a supporter of Israel's military policies against the Palestinian region of the Gaza Strip."
"Wonder Woman" was meant to hold its premiere in Lebanon tonight (Wednesday) after a sneak peek Tuesday evening. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 2. Hopefully the people of Lebanon who would like to see it can still (safely) find a way.
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