Online Petition Calls for Hollywood Studios to Disavow Controversial Barbie Marketing Campaign
The Japan release of the popular film “Barbie” has faced additional obstacles as an online petition gains momentum, urging Hollywood studios to distance themselves from a grassroots marketing movement that trivializes nuclear devastation. The Change.org petition has garnered over 16,000 signatures within a span of two days, with signatories demanding that Warner Bros and Universal Pictures cease promoting the “Barbenheimer” hashtag, which has contributed to the film’s global success.
“Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the titular character, has raked in over $800 million in global box office revenues, while the J. Robert Oppenheimer biopic, released around the same time, has generated over $400 million. The initial marketing campaign by Warner Bros involved fan-created memes that depicted Robbie’s Barbie alongside Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer in images of nuclear explosions. However, fans in Japan, where the upcoming days will commemorate the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 78 years ago, expressed their disapproval.
Koji Maruyama, a user on the Change.org website, emphasized that any depiction of “Barbenheimer” must not involve Barbie celebrating a mushroom cloud. He stated, “Barbie should never be a character who rejoices in misfortune or tragedy.” The hashtag #NoBarbenheimer gained traction online, with over 100,000 reposts. As a result, Warner’s Japan division publicly criticized its parent company, prompting an apology this week.
Mitsuki Takahata, the voice actress for Barbie in the Japanese dubbed version, expressed her disappointment on Instagram, considering withdrawing from a promotional event for the film’s opening on August 11. The incident has caused significant dismay.
Additionally, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel faced backlash following his social media post featuring a meeting with director Greta Gerwig. Users responded critically, expressing their annoyance and resolve to boycott the film. However, a spokesperson for the embassy clarified that Emanuel, together with his wife, daughter, and their friends, watched “Barbie” and embraced its message of female empowerment.
No release date has been announced for “Oppenheimer” in Japan, a film that recounts the creation of the atomic bomb. Critics have accused the movie of largely ignoring the destruction caused by the weapon in Japan during the closing stages of World War Two, which claimed the lives of over 200,000 people.
