Warner Bros Japan slams Barbie's US Twitter account for lauding 'Barbenheimer'. Here's why

'Oppenheimer' and 'Barbie' clash has been referred to as 'Barbenheimer'. (Image: @Vinithasree3/Twitter)

Warner Bros Japan has taken a stand against its American counterpart following a social media fiasco surrounding the films “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”. The Japanese division of the studio condemned the Twitter (now X) posts related to the “Barbenheimer” event, a post from Barbie's Japanese Twitter handle shows. The term “Barbenheimer” was coined to celebrate the concurrent release of Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.

The controversy ignited when Barbie's official Twitter account engaged with a fan-made poster for the "Barbenheimer" event. The poster portrayed Barbie (Margot Robbie) perched on Oppenheimer's (Cillian Murphy) shoulders with an ominous nuclear explosion in the backdrop.

The Barbie account's reaction to the poster, "It's going to be a summer to remember," stirred widespread outrage, leading to its eventual deletion.

The bone of contention lies in the fact that Oppenheimer remains undated for a Japan release, as the movie explores the horrific nuclear bombings of two Japanese cities – Hiroshima and Nagasaki – during the end of the World War II.

"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," expressed Warner Bros Japan in a statement posted on Twitter. "We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the US headquarters to take appropriate action. We apologize to those who were offended by this series of inconsiderate reactions. Warner Bros Japan."

pic.twitter.com/2SYdD6Bxva

Related stories

• 
  Paramount Skydance is preparing a bid for Warner Bros
• 
  From The Minecraft Movie to Superman: Warner Bros. creates history with 7 back-to-back over $40 mill...
• 
  The Conjuring Last Rites Box Office Collection Day 4: Vera Farmiga's film sees dip after strong week...

— (@BarbieMovie_jp) July 31, 2023

While the film Oppenheimer has garnered significant success both critically and commercially, surpassing the $400 million milestone globally, it has also faced its share of controversies regarding the depiction of the bombing and certain other scenes. In contrast, Barbie has emerged as a financial powerhouse, approaching the billion-dollar mark with a worldwide box office total of nearly $800 million.