The movie weekend last month was unprecedented due to the simultaneous release of two completely different films, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which created a wave of memes highlighting their unlikely pairing. However, some of these memes have sparked controversy in Japan, particularly those referencing the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. To make matters worse, the US Twitter account for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie responded to these memes in a cringeworthy manner, as reported by the BBC.
One meme, for example, depicts “Oppenheimer” star Cillian Murphy carrying “Barbie” star Margot Robbie through a nuclear fire—an image that received a response from the “Barbie” account saying, “It’s going to be a summer to remember.” Other memes featured combinations of mushroom clouds and “Barbie,” including one where Robbie’s hair took the shape of a mushroom cloud, prompting the “Barbie” account to reply, “This Ken is a stylist.” These memes spawned the #NoBarbenheimer hashtag and angry reactions. One commenter, whose grandfather was in Hiroshima before the atomic bomb, expressed their anguish over the insensitive use of imagery associated with the tragedy.
The memes and jokes also faced criticism from Warner Bros. Japan, the studio behind “Barbie,” who described them as “extremely regrettable” and “inconsiderate.” Deadline reported that Warner Bros. Japan intends to take appropriate action. Warner Bros. in the US has subsequently apologized and removed the offensive tweets, stating, “Warner Bros. regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology.” Despite the controversy, both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” continued to dominate the box office over the weekend.
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