Universal Pictures¡¯ ¡°Oppenheimer¡± will screen in Japan next year, a local distributor said Thursday ¡ª a launch that had been in doubt amid criticism that the film largely ignores the devastation of the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The Christopher Nolan-directed biopic about atomic bomb pioneer J. Robert Oppenheimer has grossed over $950 million globally since its July opening.
The film will open in Japan in 2024, Tokyo-based distributor Bitters End said in a statement, noting that the movie is ¡°considered a front-runner for various film awards.¡± It did not give a specific date for the release.
¡°As the subject matter of this film has a very important and special meaning for us Japanese people, we decided to release it in Japan after various discussions and considerations,¡± the distributor said.
While it¡¯s common for Hollywood films to be shown in Japan well after their U.S. premiere dates, there were heightened sensitivities about the release of ¡°Oppenheimer¡± in the only country ever to experience a nuclear attack.
Many Japanese were also offended by a grassroots marketing campaign linking the movie to ¡°Barbie,¡± another blockbuster that opened around the same time, with fan-produced images of the films¡¯ stars alongside images of nuclear blasts.
Japanese users, who were already sharing the ¡°#NoBarbenheimer¡± hashtag, were further angered when the U.S. account for the Barbie film said in a post, ¡°It¡¯s going to be a summer to remember.¡±
The dropping of atomic bombs by the United States on Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9 toward the end of World War II resulted in more than 200,000 deaths. Each year, Japan marks the anniversaries with solemn ceremonies and calls for nuclear nonproliferation.
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