A jarring juxtaposition on social media of the films "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" featuring images of the movies' lead actress and actor and scenes of atomic destruction have spurred an intense backlash in Japan, the only country to be attacked with nuclear weapons.
The internet memes, which often featured the mashed-up title “Barbenheimer,” prompted apologies first on Monday from Warner Bros. Studios Japan following outrage from Japanese and then from the firm's U.S. headquarters the following day.
While Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is a comedy based on Mattel’s iconic doll, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is a biopic that follows the story of American physicist Robert J. Oppenheimer, who is considered the “father of the atomic bomb.” Both films were released in the U.S. on July 21.