Although a 3-hour period-drama that revolves around people talking behind closed doors doesn’t fit the definition of a traditional summer blockbuster, thanks to Christopher Nolan, this was the case for Oppenheimer. While several big-budget releases struggled at the box office this year, especially CBMs, 2023 was still a great year for cinema as it witnessed director-driven films ruling the box office.
Moreover, it was also a huge year for Imax, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, one of the biggest box-office successes of the summer, which helped the company boast huge numbers.
Also read: “I kept on hearing that”: Christopher Nolan Used The Avengers to Convince Wife for Keeping His Oppenheimer Idea Alive After Initial Disagreement
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer Helped Imax Boast a Record Year
Despite facing stiff competition upon its release and being rated R, Oppenheimer still rocked the box office, pulling in a remarkable $954 million, becoming the highest-grossing biopic of all time. And of its $954M, a huge chunk of it arrived from its Imax screenings with a total of $183.2 million, subsequently becoming the highest earner for the company this year. As a result, 2023 witnessed Imax boasting over $1.06B, marking the company’s second-largest year after 2019, which witnessed the release of Avengers: Endgame, which pushed its collection to $1.1B.
However, 2023 surpassed 2019 in terms of the highest domestic box-office collection, which witnessed Imax hitting $393.2 million in North America. Other notable contributors to Imax’s overall earnings included Taylor Swift’s concert film The Eras Tour and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. On the huge achievement, Imax CEO Rich Gelfond said (variety),
“From ‘Oppenheimer’ to Taylor Swift to releases from across China, India, and Japan, Imax delivered more awe-inspiring experiences from more creative partners in 2023, resulting in one of our best years ever,”
But it isn’t only Imax that has benefited from the Golden Globe winner, as Christopher Nolan‘s move to revive physical media amidst streaming anxiety sparked hope for the medium.
Christopher Nolan Took Stance for Physical Media
Following Netflix’s rise, other major studios in Hollywood started prioritizing streaming, which seemingly killed off physical media. However, it appears the reports of the death of physical media were greatly exaggerated, as not long after its physical release, Oppenheimer 4K Blu-rays sold out on Best Buy and Amazon. Apart from financial success, this also marked new hope for physical releases, as opposed to streaming services, in which movies could disappear, a physical copy will remain intact forever. Nolan told The Washington Post:
“There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down. They come and go – as do broadcast versions of films, so my films will play on HBO or whatever, they’ll come and go. But the home video version is the thing that can always be there, so people can always access it.”
Alongside Nolan, other major filmmakers, including James Cameron, also chimed in support of physical media, which not only gives us the luxury of owning a film forever but also preserves cinema.
