The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie opens in the United States next Friday, August 8, but in Australia the film will be released on September 11. Paramount Pictures Australia’s marketing department released the movie poster promoting the film this morning and it immediately sparked outrage across the Internet.

The one-sheet depicts the four turtles leaping out of an exploding skyscraper with the September 11 release date at the very bottom, leading many to accuse the studio of insensitivity. The film also takes place in New York City, which just fueled the anger and outrage over evident 9/11 imagery.

The image of the turtles leaping out of the burning building had been posted on Paramount Pictures Australia’s Twitter account in addition to Facebook, but was soon deleted thereafter. Unfortunately, the damage had been done as the photo of the one-sheet spread rapidly across social media, with Twitter and Facebook users commenting on the tone-deafness of the poster and the obviously accidental yet explicit resemblance to the World Trade Center attack.

Most people who commented on the image found it offensive while others made snide and humorous remarks in what seemed to be an effort to downplay the coincidence.

Paramount Pictures Australia has since issued an apology. “We are deeply sorry to have used that artwork for the marketing materials promoting the September 11 opening in Australia,” said the company in a written statement. “Combining that image and date was a mistake. We intended no offense and have taken immediate action to discontinue its use.”

This public relations gaffe comes just one week before the U.S. premiere date of the latest Turtles film, directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Megan Fox and Will Arnett, with Johnny Knoxville and Noel Fisher as the voices of the titular heroes. The timing has left more than a few wondering if this was all a publicity stunt to drum up ticket sales for the film in a summer that has seen some of the weakest box office returns in years.