Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has crossed political barriers as Japan clears the way for a theatrical release of the critically acclaimed biopic in 2024. The delay for the film’s release in the East Asian island country is unsurprising given the sensitivity of the subject matter and how the trauma of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki still lingers on, almost 80 years since the incident.
The recent decision to release Oppenheimer in Japan has sparked a social media debate on whether it’s the right thing to do. While some would argue that the biographical drama about the inventor of the atomic bomb doesn’t need to be shown in the country most affected by his work, others believe that this is a move in the right direction, especially in this era of heightened cultural sensitivity. Let’s explore this unpopular opinion in detail.
Reasons behind delayed release in Japan
Oppenheimer’s worldwide theatrical release on July 21, 2023, alongside Barbie will undoubtedly go down as the cinematic event of the decade. However, both films did not really release in every single country in the world as one would come to expect from the term ‘worldwide’. The reasons were purely political for both movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_pvXW32RuQ&ab_channel=Movieclips
Barbie was banned in orthodox countries like Kuwait, UAE and Pakistan for promoting homosexuality which contradicts their religious beliefs. On the other hand, Oppenheimer was banned in Japan purely for its subject matter and how it supposedly glorifies the maker of the atomic bomb.
Reports suggested that test screenings were conducted but in vain, as most of them caused a heavy psychological impact on Japanese audience members. After all, the bombings during the Second World War took the lives of nearly 220,000 civilians and it’s not an easy feat to look past it for the sake of art.
How Oppenheimer got cleared
Despite varying sentiments, Japanese distributor Bitter’s End announced that the company will be releasing the film in 2024 after careful consideration. They praised Christopher Nolan’s exceptional filmmaking as they said the film deserves to be seen on the big screen. A specific release date is yet to be finalized.
Oppenheimer will release in japan next year 🇯🇵
the distribution company decided that the film’s subject matter was ‘very important and has special meaning to the japanese people’ and decided to release it in theaters. pic.twitter.com/MYe4wH2Lbz
— 🌕 (@alilmoonn) December 12, 2023
The decision comes after many political commentators and movie critics praised the movie for not trying to capitalize on the controversial nature of the subject. In fact, the film did not even show the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, except as a news announcement and how people reacted to it in the United States.
As a result, Japanese filmgoers believe that the reason for the delayed release is more business-related than political. A rough estimate suggests that the country was not even mentioned in the movie for a minute and the bombing’s choice was out of the titular hero’s hands, as Robert J Oppenheimer even petitioned against dropping them.
The need for the 2024 theatrical release
While it’s not mandatory for Japanese people embrace the IMAX epic with open arms, the film’s treatment of the sensitive subject is respectful enough to be allowed to play in theaters. Especially in a time when the slightest comments can offend a demographic, it’s important to encourage freedom of expression.
As if Grave of the Fireflies doesn’t exist and isn’t the most devastating piece of art to ever directly deal with that
— jeremy something (@ispeakjive) December 7, 2023
Cinema is a powerful medium which can either bring people together beyond differences or it can polarize them based on ideology. Oppenheimer belongs to the former category. Furthermore, from a business perspective, the movie’s extended release would help it cross the one-billion-dollar mark at the global box office.
As of now, the Cillian Murphy starrer has earned over $950 million which is already a groundbreaking figure for a 3-hour R-rated biographical drama. The tentative release date in the East Asian country would fall around the awards season which would immensely benefit the movie’s Oscar campaign.
