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The “Barbenheimer” memes aren’t funny for a lot of people.
Many of the internet mashups of the new “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” movies released last week have made light of atomic warfare. Some mock-up film posters show Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, and Cillian Murphy, who plays physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, aka the “father of the atomic bomb,” posing before large explosions or nuclear mushroom clouds. And the “Barbie” movie’s official Twitter account recently commented under one of these “Barbenheimer” posts that, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”
Now the American arm of Warner Bros
WBD,
, the film studio behind “Barbie,” is apologizing for the “extremely regrettable” post after people in Japan — including the company’s Japanese unit — criticized it for being insensitive to the mass destruction caused by atomic bombs.
“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 that was translated by Variety. “We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the U.S. headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologize to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Warner Bros Japan.”
The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has drawn criticism in parts of Japan for minimizing the mass destruction caused by the atomic bombs depicted in “Oppenheimer.” The U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 that resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. The number of mortalities from those bombings isn’t exactly clear, but it’s estimated to range from 110,000 to 210,000, with a majority of them in Hiroshima, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. So at various times since the “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” films were released, the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer has trended on social-media platforms.
“Oppenheimer,” which is directed by Christopher Nolan, chronicles the titular man involved in the Manhattan Project that built an atomic bomb on behalf of the U.S., and the implications of creating such a weapon of mass destruction.
Warner Bros. issued an apology, and the U.S. “Barbie” movie account on X.com, formerly known as Twitter, deleted the offensive post.
“Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” the company wrote in a statement to Variety.
Representatives from Warner Bros. declined to comment on this story.
See also: Film studios post AI jobs paying up to $900,000 while writers and actors are on strike
The “Barbie” film, which released in the U.S. on July, 21, is set to be released in Japan on August 11. “Oppenheimer” has not been released in Japan, and no release date has been determined yet.
The total box office for both movies in U.S. and Canadian theaters over their opening weekend was more than $300 million, the fourth highest ever. “Barbie” grossed $162 million domestically, the best opening of the year, and “Oppenheimer” took in $82.4 million.
Read on: AMC enjoys ‘best week ever’ for box-office revenue, fueled by ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’
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