#NoBarbenheimer? Warner Bros issues apology after Barbie movie account responds to memes featuring atom bomb images; Here’s what happened

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

Warner Bros has issued an apology after the official Barbie Movie account responded to Barbenheimer memes featuring atomic bomb images. Some images portrayed Margot Robbie with a mushroom cloud hairstyle, to which the account replied, «This Ken is a stylist.» The movie Barbie is set to premiere in Japan on August 11, just five days after the 78th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb attack, causing the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer to trend on social media platforms in Japan for the past week with internet users flagging their concerns with the memes. Another meme image showing Cillian Murphy, who played Robert Oppenheimer, known as the «father of the atomic bomb,» carrying Ms Robbie through a burning city also sparked outrage. The official Barbie movie account replied, «It's going to be a summer to be remembered.»

Warner Bros Japan's Barbie account expressed regret over the American headquarters' response to «Barbenheimer» fans on social media in a statement. A day later, the US headquarters of Warner Bros apologized for their insensitive social media engagement. Additionally, Twitter, now rebranded as X, has included community notes on original posts to provide historical context about the atomic bomb attacks on Japan. In a statement, Warner Bros said that it was «extremely regrettable that the official account of the American headquarters for the movie 'Barbie' reacted to the social media postings of 'Barbenheimer' fans.»

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 resulted in devastating death tolls. Approximately 140,000 people in Hiroshima and at least 74,000 in Nagasaki lost their lives. In addition to the immediate casualties, thousands more