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However, the worldwide popularity of these films has not been without controversy, especially concerning Japan. The movies inadvertently touched a nerve in Japan, where historical wounds from World War II and atomic bombings remain sensitive issues.
The controversy was sparked by a seemingly innocuous social media interaction. The official U.S. Barbie Twitter account responded to a Barbieheimer meme—a poster mashup featuring both movies—with a lighthearted comment: "It's gonna be a summer to remember." While no offense was intended within the context of the Oppenheimer film, which explicitly explores the mental anguish of J. Robert Oppenheimer regarding his role in the atomic bombs, the tone was perceived as disrespectful to the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.