Months after its wide theatrical release, the critically acclaimed biopic Oppenheimer will officially be released in Japan. We reported earlier in the year that the film didn’t have a Japanese release date, but now thanks to the Japanese distributor Bitters End, we know that the film will be released in Japan in 2024. There was previously speculation that the film would be banned in Japan because it covers the U.S. attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Controversy was also stirred up because of “Barbenheimer” tweets from the official Warner Bros. Twitter account, celebrating the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.
The phenomenon was fan-led, making a joke out of the fact that two movies that were seemingly tonally different, were releasing on the same day. The Twitter account shared an image of Oppenheimer and Barbie, and Warner Bros. Japan’s account condemned it, sharing a statement that included, “We find the reaction to this fan-driven movement from the official American account for the movie Barbie to be extremely regrettable.” This is a translation of what they posted and the wide sentiment expressed at the time was that we shouldn’t be trivializing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Japanese people.
When Will Oppenheimer be Released in Japan?
As was stated previously, Oppenheimer will be released in Japan in 2024. No exact release date was shared by the distributor. But, Bitter End’s Instagram post does elaborate on the film, mentioning both its box office success and its critical acclaim. So, at least we know why the film’s finally getting released in the country. It also probably helps that while some of the advertising might have been ill-thought-out, the film doesn’t trivialize the loss of life or destruction in Japan.
You can buy Oppenheimer digitally or physically, and if you’re in Japan, you can see it in a theater near you in 2024.
