Entertainment Movies Warner Bros. Apologizes for 'Insensitive' 'Barbenheimer' Social Media Engagement After Criticism in Japan The parent company issued a statement in which they gave "a sincere apology" for the engagement By Jen Juneau Jen Juneau Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years' professional writing experience. People Editorial Guidelines Published on August 1, 2023 12:45PM EDT Margot Robbie in Barbie (2023); Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023). Photo: Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros., Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures Warner Bros. Film Group's parent branch has issued an apology amid criticism over engaging in "Barbenheimer" social-media discourse. In a Monday statement on Twitter (now X), the official Japanese Barbie account called the "Barbenheimer" engagement "from the official U.S. account for the movie Barbie to be extremely regrettable," as translated by The Guardian. The company's U.S. division responded with an apology on Tuesday, saying, "Warner Brothers regrets its recent insensitive social media engagement. The studio offers a sincere apology," per Variety and The New York Times. The Japanese Barbie account's call to action came after, according to multiple outlets including Forbes, the U.S. account for the movie posted (since-deleted) tweets that sparked outrage from many, considering the subject of Oppenheimer and Japan's history with the atomic bomb. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. 'Oppenheimer' True Story: All About the Real Events That Inspired the Christopher Nolan Film The official Japanese Barbie account's initial statement also said that they had asked the powers that be at Warner Bros. to “take appropriate action” and apologize to “those offended by these inconsiderate actions.” These reportedly included the social-media response, "This Ken is a stylist," to a picture of Ken with a bomb-inspired hairstyle, as well as a tweet reading, "It’s going to be a summer to remember" in reply to a fan-made graphic featuring Barbie's Margot Robbie and Oppenheimer's Cillian Murphy. Reps for Warner Bros. Pictures did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment on Tuesday. Margot Robbie in Barbie (2023); Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer (2023). Warner Bros. Pictures; Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures 'Barbie' Breaks Box Office Record for Female Director with $155M; 'Oppenheimer' Smashes Expectations The Barbie movie has found significant staying power at the domestic box office, as it grossed an additional $93 million over the weekend. The film's ticket sales declined only 43% following its record-breaking opening weekend, resulting in the seventh-largest second weekend at the box office for a movie in history, according to Variety. Writer-director Greta Gerwig's new movie had already crossed $350 million in the U.S. just 10 days after its initial release. Barbie has found global success, too and, has made more than $780 million total worldwide thus far, according to Box Office Mojo. Oppenheimer is still benefitting from the "Barbenheimer" movie-theater craze, too. Christopher Nolan's biopic about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Murphy, 47) made an additional $46.6 million in its second weekend in theaters, which raised its total domestic gross to $174 million. It has since made over $405 million globally. The movie became the first-ever R-rated film to make more than $10 million for 10 consecutive days following its release, according to Variety, which cited Universal Pictures' own estimates.