There’s no denying that Christopher Nolan is one of the most brilliant filmmakers that this generation has ever witnessed. It is as clear as day that Oppenheimer is one of his greatest cinematic works ever made. The 2023 film swept the Golden Globe Awards, as it won 8 awards including Best Performance in a Supporting Role, Best Original Score, Best Motion Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Film.
Despite all the massive achievements, Nolan’s Oppenheimer just fell a little short of the billion-dollar mark at the box office, as the film earned $958.3 million at the worldwide box office. However, not having another historic record for a drama film does not bother Christopher Nolan, as he believes such records only encourage him to do better.
Christopher Nolan is Unbothered By Oppenheimer Not Hitting a Billion-Dollar Milestone at the Box Office
Christopher Nolan changed the film industry forever with his thriller drama, featuring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and many more big names. Recently, the Tenet director appeared on the Countdown to the BAFTAs podcast, where he was asked “What does Oppenheimer’s success say?” and “the appetite of audiences at the moment.”
Nolan reflected on Oppenheimer’s success and how the film became the highest-grossing biographical drama in film history. However, he is more concerned about making a film that his audience has not seen before in theatres.
“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 the sort of cultural establishment always predicting the demise of movie theaters. Now I get asked that question, you know, ‘What do I think about the health of the movie business?’ 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.”
Nolan added it is encouraging him to see his film doing so well, as it shows how people are hungry to see something new that will grab hold of their attention.
“Um, you know. I think the success of Oppenheimer certainly points to a sort of post franchise, post IP landscape for movies it’s kind of encouraging. It reminds the studios that there is an appetite for something people haven’t seen before or an approach to things that people haven’t seen before.”
While Nolan talks about how his film revolutionized the film industry, he also talks about how Oppenheimer works as a “point of reference” for other filmmakers, and how they can come up with something new.
Filmmakers Perceive Oppenheimer As a Revolutionary Piece of Art
In the same podcast, the host shared how Damien Chazelle has praised the film calling the 2023 film a project that defied traditional filmmaking, something the “audiences want in a summer movie, and that makes its success all the sweeter.” On the other hand, Denis Villeneuve said,
“That movies like Oppenheimer are released on the big screen brings the spotlight on the idea that film is a tremendous art form that needs to be experienced in theaters.”
Christopher Nolan stated how the film’s success “gives filmmakers another talking point,” and it can be used as a “point of reference.” Using the film’s idea and understanding the trend can help them to come up with something intriguing and unique.
“Well, I think it gives filmmakers another talking point. Just as we were able to point to Avengers End Game as an unlikely running time for such an incredibly successful film. Something like Oppenheimer working it, it gives other filmmakers a point of reference, for how something can work in the marketplace that the studio can relate to. So, yeah, it’s, it’s thrilling to see other filmmakers enjoying that and, and feeling like it might help them get something different made, you know, um, it’d be lovely to be seen as, part of, of helping other filmmakers.”
Nevertheless, the film is sensational and a magnificent piece of art. Hence, in the 96th Academy Awards, Oppenheimer has earned a whopping 13 nominations, which is the most compared to other films. The nominations include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Actress, and many more.
Oppenheimer can be rented on AppleTV.
