What Christopher Nolan Said After Oppenheimer Couldn’t Break $1 Billion Ceiling
Christopher Nolan’s biographical film Oppenheimer starring actor Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer was one of the most successful movies of 2023. Based on the novel, American Prometheus, by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, Oppenheimer followed the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer who was also known as the father of the atomic bomb for his involvement in the Manhattan Project.
The movie clashed with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie at the box office and while Barbie was the biggest blockbuster movie in 2023, Oppenheimer was also close with grossing over $958 million worldwide. The movie received critical acclaim and became the second highest-grossing R-rated movie with the performances of the actors being appreciated along with Nolan’s screenplay, score, and visuals. Despite Oppenheimer‘s success, it did not cross the $1 billion mark and Christopher Nolan talks about how he looks at the success of the movie.
Also read: Denis Villeneuve Showers Christopher Nolan With Praise: What Exactly Did He Say?
Christopher Nolan says the success of Oppenheimer marks ‘post franchise, post intellectual property’ for cinema
Filmmaker Christopher Nolan appeared alongside wife and producer Emma Thomas at the Countdown to the BAFTAs podcast hosted by Alex Zane where he discussed Oppenheimer‘s success and what it could lead to. He said,
“I think the success of Oppenheimer certainly points to a sort of post franchise, post intellectual property, landscape for movieᅳit’s kind of encouraging.”
The filmmaker noted during the discussion that the movie’s success has reminded the studios that there is an appetite in the audience to watch something that they have not seen before. Oppenheimer, which became the highest-grossing biographical drama earned 13 nominations at BAFTA Film Awards and the American Academy. Talking about being asked about the future of cinema Nolan adds,
“Everybody has a tendency to talk down the movie business. Really for the whole time I think I’ve been working in movies, I felt sort of cultural establishment always predicting the demise of movie theatres. Now, I get asked the question, you know, ‘What do I think about the health of the movie business? ‘”
Nolan continued to share-
“I don’t really know how to respond. We just released a three-hour, R-rated film about quantum physics and it made a billion dollars. Like what? Obviously our view is that the audience is there and they’re excited to see something new.”
Christopher Nolan says that with Oppenheimer‘s success and process, other filmmakers might get a point of reference for how something can work in the marketplace that the studio can relate to. The filmmaker mentioned in the interview that the movie has done far beyond what they had expected it to do.
Christopher Nolan believes in having a balance between original movies and IP movies
The successful and celebrated filmmaker in his conversation with the Associated Press last year had mentioned that according to him striking a balance between original movies and IP movies is the only way Hollywood is going to succeed. He said at the time,
“There’s always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can assure a return in audience and give people more of what they want. That’s always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood and it pays for a lot of other types of films to be made and distributed.”
He continued to explain,
“But there also always has to be respect for the audience’s desire for something new. That’s one of the big thrills of going to the movies is, frankly, seeing a trailer for a movie you’ve never heard of or type of movie you haven’t seen. A healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things and always has been.”
The filmmaker has always stressed the fact that there is an appetite amongst the audience to witness something new and unique on-screen, something they haven’t seen before. And it’s one of the powerful forces in theatrical films.
Oppenheimer is available for VOD on Prime Video and Apple TV+.
