'Oppenheimer's' atomic blast to light up Japanese theaters

In Japan, Oppenheimer will debut in theatres next year, according to Japanese distributor Bitters End.

Although it did not provide a precise release date, Japanese distributor Bitters End has stated that it will debut Christopher Nolan's biopic in nearby theatres the following year.

Bitters End announced in a statement that it has decided after seeing the movie and “following months of thoughtful dialogue associated with the subject matter and acknowledging the particular sensitivity for us Japanese.”

His biopic is about the physicist who led the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. Nolan had “created a singular cinematic experience that transcends traditional storytelling and must be seen on the big screen,” the company said. “We invite the audience to watch the film with their own eyes when it comes to Japan.”

With over $950 million in global receipts, Oppenheimer, an Oscar front-runner for the following year, is an incredibly critical and commercial success.

It was released by Universal and stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Florence Pugh. However, because of its subject matter, the movie has always generated a lot of controversy in Japan.

Warner Bros. Japan was forced to issue an apology this summer after memes showcasing mashups of the Warners Barbie and Nolan's Oppenheimer film appeared on the U.S. Twitter account.

Many Japanese people interpreted these posts as mocking the more than 200,000 people who died in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In Japan, the hashtag #NoBarbenheimer became popular, and it was unclear if Oppenheimer would be released locally.