Warner Bros. apologizes after “Barbenheimer” memes cause controversy in Japan

Warner Bros. has apologized for engaging in “Barbienheimer” social media marketing after the company’s Japanese branch posted a statement criticizing the headquarters for feeding into the craze online. Numerous online users in Japan have started a #NoBarbenheimer petition against the joint-double feature’s insensitivity to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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

Concerns began when the U.S. “Barbie” Twitter account replied to a fanart poster of Barbie sitting on the shoulders of Oppenheimer in front of an atomic mushroom cloud, the “Barbie” U.S. Twitter account read, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

Then the Japanese language “Barbie” Twitter account responded with a statement: “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. 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.”

“Oppenheimer” has yet to be released in Japan because there is no scheduled release date. The film’s delayed release is in response to its delicate subject matter which explores Oppenheimer’s creation of two atomic bombs dropped by the U.S. on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 that killed as many as 250,000 people.