Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has stamped its mark on streaming history, with the epic biopic now holding the record for the biggest pay-one movie launch on Peacock. Oppenheimer surpassed The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which previously held the Peacock record after its own 2022 streaming debut. Exact viewership numbers weren’t released for either film. But Peacock’s parent company NBCUniversal spotlighted Oppenheimer’s achievement, no doubt thrilled to see their pay-one deal with Universal Pictures paying major dividends.
Why Did Oppenheimer Dominate on Streaming?
According to Variety, Oppenheimer landed on Peacock on February 16, over seven months after its July 2022 theatrical release. Mario Bros. arrived on streaming faster, in April 2022, meaning anticipation likely built longer for Oppenheimer.
Of course, Oppenheimer was also 2023’s most acclaimed and profitable films—the $100 million drama stunned box office analysts by earning nearly $1 billion worldwide. And critics overwhelmingly praised Cillian Murphy’s lead performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, alongside director Christopher Nolan’s bold vision chronicling the atomic bomb’s creation. So Oppenheimer entered streaming boasting major awards buzz and viewer goodwill – advantages Mario Bros. didn’t share to the same degree.
Interestingly, Oppenheimer’s streaming supremacy contrasts against its box office performance relative to Mario Bros. While both ruled theaters, Mario Bros. won that duel, its $1.36 billion haul beating Oppenheimer’s still-excellent $958 million global take.
Yet on streaming, Oppenheimer clearly connected more powerfully with at-home audiences. This highlights how much room remains for non-IP-driven adult dramas like Oppenheimer within the streaming landscape.
What Awards Hope Does Oppenheimer Still Hold?
Oppenheimer scored 13 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, and Best Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr. The film already claimed Best Drama Picture and five other honors at the Golden Globes. Now, Oppenheimer appears poised to dominate at the upcoming Academy Awards as well.
So between its continued box office endurance, streaming record-smashing launch on Peacock, and sustained awards buzz, Oppenheimer keeps demonstrating serious staying power. And Christopher Nolan’s bold vision chronicling the man behind the atomic bomb will likely continue finding enthusiastic audiences for years to come.
Oppenheimer chronicles J. Robert Oppenheimer’s life leading the Manhattan Project team that developed the world’s first atomic weapons. Cillian Murphy plays Oppenheimer, with Emily Blunt as his wife Kitty.
The story explores Oppenheimer grappling with the ethical implications of nuclear weapons, while also facing scrutiny from government officials suspicious of his past radical leftist ties. Oppenheimer worries Trinity test detonation could ignite the atmosphere, but proceeds when Einstein calculates low odds.
After the wartime bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer is hailed publicly but privately horrified. His general opposition to future nuclear proliferation makes enemies like Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.).
Strauss conspires to revoke Oppenheimer’s security clearance in the 1954 hearings exploiting his youthful communist sympathies. The film highlights how personal vendettas, power politics, and nuclear anxiety intersected for the troubled physicist known as the father of the atomic bomb.
