Warner Bros apologises after backlash to Barbenheimer memes
Warner Bros US has issued an apology over "insensitive" social media posts after being called out for responding positively to certain Barbenheimer memes.
The studio behind Barbie has faced criticism from its own Japan branch for engaging with Barbenheimer posts that included imagery of the atom bomb.
One fan-made poster mashup that the Barbie US Twitter account engaged with featured Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) from the two movies with a nuclear mushroom cloud in the background. "It's going to be a summer to remember," the account posted in response.
"Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology," the studio said in a statement sent to Deadline.
Related: Barbie director Greta Gerwig responds to conservative backlash
The offensive posts on Twitter, which has recently rebranded to X, have been deleted.
WB's apology comes after the studio's Japanese branch condemned the "regrettable" engagement with fans' Barbenheimer posts.
Christopher Nolan's movie Oppenheimer, which details the creation of the first nuclear bomb at the hands of the titular physicist, still hasn't secured a release window in Japan. Given the sensitive content of the movie, some see the Barbenheimer memes as trivialising nuclear weapons and the devastating consequences of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings during World War II.
Related: Oppenheimer true story: What happened to J Robert Oppenheimer?
"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 said in a statement.
"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."
The cinematic event of the summer, aided by the simultaneous release in most markets, Barbenheimer refers to the double bill some moviegoers braved on opening day (July 21 in the UK).
The term is also used in connection to the memes pairing the two movies that have spread across social media in the months preceding their release.
Barbie and Oppenheimer are in UK cinemas now.
You Might Also Like
