Release of Oppenheimer in Japan Delayed Amidst Controversy Over Barbenheimer
Months after its global release, Japanese cinemagoers finally have the opportunity to witness the box office sensation Oppenheimer Don't miss out on this highly anticipated film's arrival in Japan!
Japanese audiences will finally have the chance to watch the box office sensation "Oppenheimer" after a delay in its release, due to a controversial marketing campaign that was deemed insensitive to the 1945 nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bitters End, a film distributor, announced on social media that the movie directed by Christopher Nolan will be released in Japan in 2024. The statement on Instagram described the film as Nolan's ultimate masterpiece and a strong contender in all film awards categories. No specific release date was provided.
Universal's three-hour biopic on J. Robert Oppenheimer has shattered numerous records worldwide, making it the highest-grossing World War II movie released earlier this year. However, the film faced controversy for its release alongside "Barbie" in several regions.
As a result, many people went to see both movies as a kind of double-header, and social media was awash with unofficial fan-made "Barbenheimer" memes.
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The posts sparked outrage in Japan, prompting an apology from Warner Bros. Film Group after backlash over its "Barbie" film's use of memes that seemed to show the character in atomic blast imagery from "Oppenheimer."
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The official "Barbie" account deleted their responses to unofficial memes, but screenshots on X indicated that the "Barbie" account had responded favorably to a meme of a mushroom cloud superimposed on the head of Margot Robbie, the film's star, as well as to another post showing "Oppenheimer" actor Cillian Murphy carrying a happy Barbie on his shoulder against a backdrop of flames.
The posts were criticized for making light of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US Air Force in 1945, which resulted in the deaths of over 110,000 people and the suffering of tens of thousands more. Warner Bros. Film Group issued a statement to CNN, expressing regret for their insensitive social media engagement and offering a sincere apology.
From left, Barbie and Oppenheimer (2023).
Warner Bros Pictures/Universal Pictures
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Warner Bros., along with CNN, is a division of Warner Bros. Discovery.
In the meantime, a competing hashtag - "NoBarbenheimer" - gained traction on Japanese social media, with users using it to express criticism of the "Barbie" accounts' merging of the two films.
Jeffrey J. Hall, a US academic in Tokyo, tweeted about the #NoBarbenheimer controversy, highlighting the differing perceptions of nuclear weapons between Japan and the US. He mentioned how the Japanese are taught about the horrors of the atomic bombs and how the annual memorial ceremonies are a significant national event, emphasizing that even after 78 years, the impact of these events is still deeply felt in Japan.
