Warner Bros. Apologizes For ‘Insensitive’ Barbenheimer Memes After Criticism From Japanese Studio Sector

Larisha Paul
·2 min read
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oppenheimer - Credit: Universal Pictures
oppenheimer - Credit: Universal Pictures

The cultural phenomenon of Barbenheimer, the double-viewing fiasco of Warner Bros.’ Barbie and Universal’s Oppenheimer, has lined the pockets of both studios while movie-goers dress up to head to their theaters and make the ultimate commitment to the bit. Many brands have also played into the popular social marketing, but the core of the trend is beginning to unravel now that the studios are leaning further into it. Warner Bros. U.S. issued an apology to its Japanese distribution arm for sharing social media content through the official Barbie account that Warner Bros. Japan deemed inconsiderate.

“Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” the company shared in a statement, according to Variety.

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In a since-deleted tweet, the Barbie account shared a fan-made poster that showed Barbie (Margot Robbie) sitting on J. Robert Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) shoulders while he walked away from a mushroom cloud created by an atomic blast. “It’s going to be a summer to remember,” the caption read. In another, in which Robbie’s hair was styled in the shape of the cloud, the account wrote: “This Ken is a stylist.”

Both films were released on the same day, but while Barbie is a bright, slightly existential film about self-worth, Oppenheimer follows its titular character through a moral dilemma surrounding his creation of two atomic bombs that killed nearly a quarter of a million people when the U.S. dropped them on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. It was the first time in human history that a weapon of that kind was used.

“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 shared in a statement published on the Barbie Japan Twitter account, which prompted the apology. “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.”

Oppenheimer has not been released in Japan. Sunday, Aug. 6, marks the 78th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing. Barbie is scheduled to be released in the country on Aug. 11.

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