Two of the most anticipated films of recent times, Barbie and Openheimer, were released in the past weeks. While both films were successful at the box office, the sweet rivalry between them was also carried to social media under the name “Barbenheimer”. Many users frequently shared memes featuring both movies. Here are some reactions from Japan about these Barbenheimer posts recently.
The most controversial thing was that the official US account of the Barbie movie responded to a Barbenheimer post. The account replied, “It’s going to be a summer to remember” to a fan-made poster featuring Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) in front of the atomic bomb explosion.
Warner Bros. USA deleted the shares of Barbie account, apologized for what happened
The inclusion of the official Barbie account in these memes has already magnified the ongoing backlash. Users stated that they did not find these posts correct due to what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The production company Warner Bros.’s account in Japan also released a statement, describing the inclusion of the American Barbie account in the Barbenheimer memes as “disappointing” and saying that the US headquarters should take action.
Today, Warner Bros. An announcement came from the USA. The company stated that it regretted and apologized for sharing the official account on social media. In addition, the tweets of the Barbie account were deleted by the company.
Reactions are not based only on the sharing of the Barbie account. In recent days, many users, including Japanese politicians, expressed that they do not want posts containing the two films with the tag “NoBarbenheimer” to be shared and stated that they are uncomfortable with the mushroom clouds and explosions that come together with Barbie. Many noted that the images downplayed the devastating impact of the atomic bomb on people in Japan.
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