“Barbie”: Warner Bros. apologizes for tweet about atomic bomb

2023-08-02 12:06:00

Criticism from Japan Warner Bros. must apologize for “insensitive” Barbie tweet about the atomic bomb

Scene from the “Barbie” movie

© Everett Collection / Imago Images

“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” inspire the cinema audience. However, some forget that in Japan the “Barbenheimer” hype caused by the atomic bomb attacks in World War II caused hurt feelings.

The cinema hasn’t experienced such hype for a long time: With “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” two long and eagerly awaited films were released on the same day. The reviews are good in both cases, fans discuss their favorites and sometimes even watch both films in a row.

“Barbenheimer” is not only the portmanteau of the moment among cineastes. Numerous memes are circulating on the Internet under this hashtag, which combine motifs from both cinema strips. But some people seem to forget that at least in “Oppenheimer” it is about an actually very dark topic: the construction of the first atomic bomb, its dropping on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the Second World War and the consequences. Currently at Japan, the first and only country affected by the use of a nuclear bomb in the war, is causing resentment.

“Barbie” account reacts to “Barbenheimer” memes

There was now a lot of criticism that the official US “Barbie” account responded to one of the memes on Twitter (now renamed X). A user posted pictures of “Oppenheimer” actor Cillian Murphy wearing a laughing Barbie (Margot Robbie) with a nuclear explosion in the background. The Barbie account ironically responded, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

An unnecessarily faux pas that caused hurt feelings in Japan. After all, 100,000 people died when the bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and another 130,000 people died as a result of the damage by the end of the year alone. Accordingly, many Japanese accused the American “Barbie” makers of playing down the atomic bomb and its importance for Japan.

Trend color 2023

Pink, pinker, Margot Robbie: The “Barbie” star’s pink looks are going into the next round

Japanese criticize “Oppenheimer”

Even the Japanese division of the media company Warner Bros., which is behind “Barbie”, joined in. “We take this situation very seriously and are requesting an appropriate response from US headquarters,” read the Japanese Barbie Twitter account. In the meantime, the Americans have also given in. Warner Bros. “regrets the recent insensitive behavior on social media” and apologizes for it, according to a statement sent to US media. The incriminating tweet has also been deleted.

Christopher Nolan’s film about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the inventor of the atomic bomb, is viewed critically in Japan. It was criticized that the attacked cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were not shown at all in the film, which was understood as a lack of respect for the Japanese victims. It is not yet certain when “Oppenheimer” will also be shown in Japanese cinemas.

Sources: CNN / Japanese Barbie account on Twitter