Oppenheimer set for lukewarm reception in Japan after ‘Barbieheimer’ backlash

Earlier promotion of the film featuring an image of a mushroom cloud and Barbie sparked outrage in Japan, forcing its distributor to apologise

Nationalists are concerned the film, set to screen in March, does not condemn the decision to drop the first atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki as a war crime

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Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer. Photo: Handout

Published: 2:00pm, 28 Jan 2024Updated: 2:18pm, 28 Jan 2024

The award-winning film Oppenheimer will finally be screened in Japanese cinemas starting from March 29, although many do not expect the film to fare well at the country’s box office given that it focuses on the man responsible for the creation of the weapon used to destroy the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Nationalists have also expressed concern that director Christopher Nolan’s biopic does not condemn the decision to drop the first atomic bombs as a war crime.

Oppenheimer, featuring a cast of stars including Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey junior, tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and his work overseeing the US military’s Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the atomic weapons. It won five Golden Globe Awards and has been nominated for 15 Oscars, including Best Picture.

The film received wide release in July 2023 but, given its controversial nature in Japan, no release date for the country was initially set.

Public disquiet about the film was heightened when a promotional campaign by distributor Warner Brothers Japan suggested that cinema-goers take in the film at the same time as its other huge summer release, Barbie, referring to the double-header by the popular portmanteau “Barbenheimer”.