'Barbenheimer' Content on 'Barbie' Twitter Page Draws Criticism From Warner Bros. Japan - Controversy Explained

UPDATE: Warner Bros. U.S. issued a response to the criticism, and they are apologizing.

“Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology,” they said in a statement shared with Deadline. The outlet noted that they were likely taking down offensive tweets.

We’ll update you if we learn more.

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The Barbenheimer hype is drawing moviegoers into theaters in droves, but it is not without controversy.

In the leadup to the simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer earlier this month, the joined name was created. In the United States and some other countries, fans of both movies have weighed in on the friendly competition between the blockbusters.

However, the Barbie movie’s U.S. Twitter page, which is run by the Warner Bros. U.S. team, is drawing criticism from Warner Bros. Japan for involving itself in the conversation.

Read more about the controversy at the center of Barbenheimer…

Warner Bros. Japan took to social media to issue a statement after the U.S. Barbie movie account interacted with several posts about Barbenheimer.

“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,” the company wrote, according to a translation provided by Variety. “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.”

If you were unaware, Oppenheimer is a biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, referred to as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The movie shows the testing process for the bombs leading up to their creation and eventual use in World War II in an attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bombing was devastating and caused mass death and destruction.

Variety noted that Oppenheimer and Barbenheimer content has not been well received by some in Japan, where #NoBarbenheimer has been a trending topic. In fact, there has not been an announced release date for Oppenheimer in the country.

Both films are continuing to perform well, and some are even revealing a way that Barbie can help with your love life.