“We take this situation very seriously”: WB Japan Calls Out Barbie’s Inconsiderate ‘Barbenheimer’ Tweet Ridiculing Hiroshima Nagasaki Blasts for Cheap Marketing
In the west, this summer has been called ‘The Summer of Barbenheimer’. This is a result of the parallel successes of Christopher Nolan and Greta Gerwig’s movies, Oppenheimer and Barbie, respectively. Both movies have definitely influenced a ton of internet memes. However, not everyone is entirely happy with it.
The main US Barbie Twitter account responded to a Barbenheimer meme earlier this month by writing “It is going to be a summer to remember” while using the kissing and heart emojis.
Now, in response to the American Barbie account’s “insensitive” response to a Barbenheimer meme, the Japanese Barbie Twitter account has posted a statement.
Barbie is a Greta Gerwig-directed film starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll.
The fantastical comedy got caught up in the Barbenheimer craze that has swept social media in recent weeks because its release date clashed with Nolan’s historical drama, Oppenheimer.
Japanese Barbie Account Reacted To ‘Inconsiderate’ Barbenheimer Tweet
Since Barbie and Oppenheimer were both released in the United States at the same time, the term ‘Barbenheimer’ has gained popularity. Some people find it humorous how Greta Gerwig‘s colorful Barbie and Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer’s gritty, darker themes contrast with each other in Barbenheimer.
But, this mash-up is not funny to everyone, and Japan does not find the atomic bomb funny either. Warner Bros. Japan has recently released a statement denouncing the “extremely regrettable” tweets made by the American Barbie Twitter handle.
This was in response to numerous alleged complaints from Japanese citizens.
The US division of Warner Bros. was criticized for encouraging the ‘Barbenheimer’ craze on social media on the country’s official Barbie Twitter account. In a statement posted to the Barbie Japan Twitter account, WB Japan stated:
Warner Bros Japan calls out @barbiethemovie‘s ‘inconsiderate’ #Barbenheimer tweets
“We consider it extremely regrettable … We take this situation very seriously. We are asking the U.S. headquarters to take appropriate action”
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) July 31, 2023
Following the simultaneous summer releases of Universal’s Oppenheimer and WB’s Barbie films, the Barbie U.S. Twitter account has positively received fans’ posts about Barbenheimer.
Both movies were released on July 21 and became box office juggernauts, quickly rising to the top of the box office.
What Were The Fans’ Reactions To This?
The Barbenheimer phenomenon, which started as an imagined rivalry between the two films, but evolved into a celebration of both, has been sweeping social media over the past few weeks. Barbie and Oppenheimer have both been huge box office successes in part due to the two movies’ celebrations. But let’s not forget that not every region of the world is experiencing the Barbenheimer craze equally.
The relationship between Oppenheimer and Japan is particularly complicated. After all, the movie details the 1940s development of the first atomic bomb, a weapon that would later be used to devastating effect on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The number of deaths caused by the bombings is estimated to have been well over 200,000, though estimates for this number are widely disparate. Although neither of the Japanese bombings is explicitly shown in Oppenheimer’s film, the general destructive power of atomic weapons can be a significant theme.
Listen to what the audience has to say:
The 220,000 people who died in the year the atomic bombs fell, included American POWs also. Not only JPs. There were Chinese. There were Koreans. Devout Catholics (who of course would have opposed the war) were burned during church mass. They all suffered and died, as in…
— スャ (@szja_) July 31, 2023
Barbenheimer isn’t funny because nuking Japanese civilians is no big deal; It’s funny *because* Oppenheimer’s subject matter is so tragic&serious,& it came out on the same way as a movie that’s basically a light-hearted feminist shitpost. The juxtaposition is what makes it funny.
— ForceWave 💛❤️💙 (@forcewave1139) July 31, 2023
i am 100% sure they talk about barbeheimer memes not about the real events…
— Crepi (@CrepikCZ) July 31, 2023
Extremely regrettable
— Eric Cartman (@_aaronfer211) July 31, 2023
I mean, they’re partially promoting a film that condemns the actions of everyone involved with the building and usage of the atom bomb so if anything this is a good look for them
— Krit (@Kr1tical) August 1, 2023
War happens to every country, all the innocent people that are gone are in a better place (including nonexistance) or reincarnated
I do admit it left a slight bitter taste in my mouth at first, but in the end it’s no better or worse than 9/11 jokes— Lavender7107 🏳️⚧️ (@Lavender7107) August 1, 2023
Oppenheimer has not actually been given a release date in Japan yet, and it is still unknown whether the film will even be released there.
On the other hand, Barbie is scheduled for Japan release on August 11.
Source- Twitter
