00:00On Wednesday, Lebanon officially banned the Warner Brothers movie, Wonder Woman, just hours before the film was set to premiere in Beirut.
00:11The decision was made by the Lebanese government, which took issue with the fact that the film's star, Gal Gadot, is Israeli and served in the military.
00:19We should note here that all Israeli citizens serve in the military.
00:22Lebanon is officially at war with Israel.
00:25The desire to ban the film, as the Associated Press noted, is a reflection of how the decades-old animosity between the two neighbors is also infused in the cultural scene.
00:36The news comes on the heels of Reports Tuesday about a group called Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel Lebanon pressing the effort against the movie.
00:44The ban was decided by a six-member Ministry of Economy committee.
00:48The film's Lebanese premiere was scheduled for Wednesday evening, and a sneak preview did take place Tuesday evening, as planned.
00:55The superhero movie was only scheduled to play in 15 locations in Lebanon, so the move isn't expected to make much of a dent at the box office.
01:03It is tracking to open domestically at $87 million and is expected to do brisk business overseas.
01:09We have a lot more Wonder Woman coverage in The Hollywood Reporter's cover story and at THR.com, so make sure to go check that out, guys.
01:17In the meantime, what's your take on the Lebanon ban? Let me know in the comments.
01:21For The Hollywood Reporter News, I'm Paul Costabile.
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