Warner Bros. US makes a public apology over ‘Barbenheimer’ posts
‘Barbenheimer’ posts spark criticism from Studio’s Japan Unit
Warner Bros. US made a public apology on Tuesday over ‘Barbenheimer’ posts that sparked criticism from the studio’s Japan Unit!
The Warner Bros. Film Group in the U.S. in a statement issued a public apology about social media activity concerning the “Barbenheimer” meme that resulted in a major offence in Japan.
“Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” the company said in a statement.
“We understand the offending tweets are being deleted.”
It all started after the studio’s U.S. branch fed into the “Barbenheimer” craze on social media.
The “Barbenheimer” meme has drawn criticism in Japan for making light of the mass destruction caused by the atomic bombs.
The hashtag #NoBarbenheimer has been trending in Japan in recent days.
Warner Bros. Japan has issued a statement in which it criticized what it described as “extremely regrettable” Barbenheimer tweets shared from the official Barbie Twitter account in the U.S.
“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, now called X, profile.
“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. Warner Bros Japan.”
— 映画『バービー』公式 (@BarbieMovie_jp) July 31, 2023
It is pertinent to mention here that the film Oppenheimer has not been released in Japan and no release date has yet been determined.
The hashtag #NoBarbenheimer has been trending in Japan in recent days.
Many Twitter users have been visibly disturbed by online memes and imagery of mushroom clouds and explosions juxtaposed with more playful Barbie images.
