Social media users in Japan share 9/11 memes in response to Barbenheimer promotion

3 August, 2023

'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer'

Social media users in Japan have heavily criticised Warner Bros’ promotion of Barbie and Oppenheimer, with some sharing 9/11 memes in response.

On Twitter/X, Warner Bros. previously responded to a mockup image of Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer carrying Margot Robbie’s Barbie on his shoulders while surrounded by the flames of an atomic explosion.

In response to the image, Warner Bros. tweeted: “It’s going to be a summer to remember.”

The studio was playing into the viral Barbenheimer trend, which saw millions of cinemagoers around the world see both movies in a double bill after social media drew attention to their joint release date (July 21).

In response, Japanese people have hit out at Warner Bros. for trivialising the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which claimed the lives of approximately 110,000 people.

To illustrate their point, some social media users in Japan mocked up their own images, combining Barbie with the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack, while also placing Robbie’s titular character on the shoulders of Osama bin Laden.

 

“In an attempt to get Americans to see why Japan finds Barbenheimer offensive, Japanese Twitter has taken to making 9/11 jokes – completely misunderstanding that Americans love 9/11 jokes,” tweeted one user.

The Japan branch of Warner Bros. also criticised the US account’s engagement with the Barbeheimer trend, tweeting: “Because the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer were both released in the US on 21 July, there is currently a movement driven by overseas fans to watch them together (#Barbenheimer), but this is not an official movement.

“We find the reaction to this fan-driven movement from the official US account for the movie Barbie to be extremely regrettable. We take this very seriously and are asking the US head office to take appropriate action. We apologise to those offended by these inconsiderate actions.”

Warner Bros. US has since said in a statement that it “regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology”.

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