Warner Bros. apologizes for ‘insensitive’ ‘Barbenheimer’ posts that sparked criticism in Japan

The Warner Bros. Film Group in the U.S. is apologizing for supporting the “Barbenheimer” meme craze on social media, an act that has caused a great deal of controversy in Japan.

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

Earlier in the week, Warner Bros. Japan posted a statement on its official Japanese-language “Barbie” Twitter account questioning the U.S. branch’s backing of the “Barbenheimer” trend.

The trend links Greta Gerwig’s film “Barbie,” with Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which tells the story of the scientist who spearheaded the creation of the first atomic bomb, which killed at least 225,000 people in Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945.

As the meme grew in popularity, it was accused of making light of the mass destruction caused by the atomic bombs. And, as a result, the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer began trending in Japan.

A fan art poster that helped jump-start the trend depicts “Barbie” lead actress Margot Robbie sitting on the shoulders of “Oppenheimer” lead actor Cillian Murphy in front of a fiery mushroom cloud caused by an atomic explosion.

At the time, the official “Barbie” U.S. Twitter account responded, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.” A community note is attached to the post explaining the historical context of the fiery background.

“At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945 (Showa 20), an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima for the first time in human history,” the Twitter note reads. “The particular nature of the damage caused by the atomic bombs is that mass destruction and mass murder occurred instantaneously and indiscriminately.”

“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 published on the “Barbie” Japan Twitter profile (the post was translated via Google Translate). “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.” entertainment.ed@ocolly.com

The two films were considered a double feature by fans due to their shared release in theaters on July 21, boosting the box office to its fourth highest-grossing weekend in history.