‘Barbie’ movie: Warner Bros. apologises for replying to atomic bomb memes

1 August, 2023

'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer'

Warner Bros. in the US has apologised for replying to Barbenheimer memes that feature atom bomb images.

The apology follows Warner Bros. Japan calling its US counterpart’s behaviour “extremely regrettable”, and also said sorry to fans on its behalf.

The Barbenheimer craze, which has resulted in millions around the world watching the two blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer back-to-back in an ironic double bill dubbed “Barbenheimer”, has drawn criticism in Japan for making light of the mass destruction caused by the atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Barbie US Twitter account (@barbiethemovie) responded to one Barbenheimer fan art poster that depicts Margot Robbie’s Barbie sitting on the shoulders of Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer in front of a fiery atomic mushroom cloud, by writing: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

Warner Bros. Japan has publicly criticised their US counterparts over “inconsiderate” reactions to art combining Barbie imagery with nuclear mushroom clouds…

Warner Bros. Japan has criticised what it called “extremely regrettable” Barbenheimer tweets shared by their US counterparts.

The Barbenheimer craze, which has resulted in millions around the world watching the two blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer back-to-back in an ironic double bill dubbed “Barbenheimer”, has drawn criticism in Japan for making light of the mass destruction caused by the atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

The Barbie US Twitter account, which responded to one Barbenheimer fan art poster which depicts Margot Robbie’s Barbie sitting on the shoulders of Cillian Murphy’s J. Robert Oppenheimer in front of a fiery atomic mushroom cloud, by writing: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

Warner Bros. Japan released a statement criticising the studio’s US branch, leading to the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer trending in the country in recent days.

“We consider it extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie ‘Barbie’ reacted to the social media postings of ‘Barbenheimer’ fans,” Warner Bros. Japan wrote in a statement published on the Barbie Japan Twitter profile.

“We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the US headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologise to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions.”

Warner Bros US responded to the criticism, writing on Twitter (now called X): “Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology.”

Additionally, Oppenheimer has been criticised by some for not showing the extent of the devastation wrought on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where it is estimated up to 220,000 people died in the bombings and their aftermath.

Christopher Nolan’s film opened in theaters worldwide last month but it hasn’t been released yet in Japan and no release date has been confirmed. Barbie, meanwhile, is released in the country on August 11.

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