Paramount deletes tweet of Australian 'TMNT' poster amid 9/11 controversy

Things are not looking so “cowabunga” Down Under.

Less than two weeks before the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premiere in the United States, a poster for the film’s Australian release is causing controversy. The image in question was tweeted from the @ParamountAU account to promote the film’s September 11 release date there:

The image of the Turtles jumping from a burning building with the words “September 11!” did not sit well with the internet. The significance of that day may hold a different meaning in America than it does in Australia, but angry fans nonetheless took to their own Twitter accounts, where they called out the advertisement as wildly inappropriate:

Conversely, others used the unfortunate juxtaposition to create new conspiracy theories:

The Paramount tweet has since been deleted.

In a statement, Tom Roache, head of publicity at Paramount Australia, said: “We are deeply sorry to have used that artwork for the marketing materials promoting the September 11 opening in Australia. Combining that image and date was a mistake. We intended no offense and have taken immediate action to discontinue its use.”