Wonder Woman expected to land as a smash hit in Israel following Lebanon ban

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Yesterday, we reported on the news that Warner Bros. and DC's WONDER WOMAN had been banned in Lebanon. Today, it's being said that the Amazonian warrior princess may well enjoy a tremndous amount of success over the coming weekend thanks in-part to the efforts and people of Israel.

Since Gadot, a former Miss Israel, was cast in the role of Diana Prince aka WONDER WOMAN, support coming from Israel for the character (and the film) has been overwhelmingly positive. Ever since December of 2013 (when Gal Gadot's role in the film was announced), the country of Israel has gone to great lengths to endorse the character. How so? Not long ago, Israel proclaimed Diana as an honorary ambassador of their land in addition to promoting the film by hanging a WONDER WOMAN poster on the side of Tel Aviv's Azrieli Center skyscraper. It's also to note that Israel has been going hard-in-the-paint with regard to promoting the forthcoming DC super hero adventure by covering the lead-up to the film with glowingly positive press at every available opportunity.   

In writing about the outpouring of support for Wonder Woman's solo film debut, Adi Rubinstein of the Israel Hayom wrote, "There is no one Israeli that is non-supportive. Gadot is the leading Israeli product on TV all over the world right now — no format, idea or Israeli persona can successfully do what Gadot has been doing this past month." Adding to Rubinstein's positivity was the Israeli advertising startup Taykey, which tracks internet trends and chatter, says that Gadot is "unrivaled as the most loved Israeli in the world." Lastly, Guy Pines of the celebrity news show Erev Tov With Guy Pines says, "Gal has been a household name in Israel for years, keeping her cool and down-to-earth persona, unlike many others, even when she became such a huge star. Knowing how many others dream and work so hard to get there, you just can't not love her and appreciate her amazing achievement. And pleaaassse try to pronounce her name right. Ga-dott!”

Wow! If this doesn't pump some decent huffs of fresh air into Gal Gadot's metaphorical self esteem balloon, I don't know what will! While it's known that some of Israel's more traditional and religious citizens might be reluctant to embrace a film featuring a leading lady such as WONDER WOMAN, that's not likely to stop the film from being declared a winner in the eyes of the country's majority of moviegoers. 

While reacting to the outpouring of support from the Israeli people, Gadot responded with an Instagram post written in her native herbrew that, when translated, read “When my mom and dad sent this to me, I was sure they did it on a computer, and then I got another image from my cousin, good friend and a colleague and I realized it's actually real. Wow! No Words. I'm giving thanks for everything, nothing is for granted, I wish I could reciprocate all the kindness and love back to the universe, a big thank you to everyone."

It's been my pleasure to bring you this feel-good WONDER WOMAN news, this afternoon. I've got my tickets pre-ordered for this coming weekend, and I can't wait to see Gal Gadot in all her glory, as Diana Prince, up on the big screen!

WONDER WOMAN makes her solo theatrical debut on June 2, 2017. 

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.