Paramount apologizes for "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" 9/11 poster

The studio behind the upcoming "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie has apologized after releasing a controversial promotional poster for the film.

Paramount Pictures' Australian office released a poster showing the four heroes plunging from a burning skyscraper above the film's Australian release date of Sept. 11.

The image remained on the studio's Twitter and Facebook pages for a few hours, Gawker reports, before social media backlash prompted the studio to remove it and issue an apology.

"We are deeply sorry to have used that artwork for the marketing materials promoting the September 11 opening in Australia," Paramount Australia said in a statement. "Combining that image and date was a mistake. We intended no offense and have taken immediate action to discontinue its use."

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" opens in U.S. theaters on Aug. 8.