‘INSENSITIVE’

Warner Bros. Apologizes After Barbenheimer Tweets Spark Outrage in Japan

An official ‘Barbie’ account made lighthearted comments on posts featuring atomic explosions.

Warner Bros. has issued an apology after one of its Barbie accounts replied with humorous comments to “Barbenheimer” memes using images of atomic explosions which provoked an angry backlash in Japan. “It’s going to be a summer to remember,” @barbiethemovie wrote on Twitter in response to one meme showing Cillian Murphy, who stars in Oppenheimer, carrying Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, in front of an explosion. The lighthearted comments went down poorly in Japan, where J. Robert Oppenheimer’s bombs were used at the end of World War 2 against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Referring to the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, the Japanese Twitter account for the Barbie movie wrote: “We find the reaction to this fan-driven movement from the official US account for the movie Barbie to be extremely regrettable. We take this very seriously and are asking the US head office to take appropriate action. We apologise to those offended by these inconsiderate actions.” “Warner Bros regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement,” the company’s U.S. headquarters later told the BBC. “The studio offers a sincere apology.”