Oppenheimer to screen in Japan next year after nuclear controversy

TOKYO — Universal Pictures' Oppenheimer will screen in Japan next year, a local distributor said on Thursday — 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 US$950 million (S$1.3 billion) globally since its July opening.

The film will open in Japan in 2024, 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.

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.

A #NoBarbenheimer hashtag trended online in Japan in August, prompting an apology from Barbie distributor Warner Bros.

The dropping of atomic bombs by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki toward the end of World War Two resulted in more than 200,000 deaths.

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