Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan Says He's Stunned By Movie's Success

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer was not only one of the biggest movies of the summer, but one of the biggest movies of the year to date, currently sitting in the number three spot at the worldwide box office behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Barbie at just under one billion dollars. The film is also generating a lot of awards season buzz — including Oscar buzz. It's success that may be a little surprising in an entertainment environment dominated by comic book movies and major IP blockbusters and it turns out that Nolan himself is surprised by Oppenheimer's success. Speaking with Variety, Nolan said the film's success is something he couldn't have predicted.

"With certain films, your timing is just right in ways that you never could have predicted," Nolan said. "When you start making a film, you're two or three years out from when it's going to be released, so you're trying to hit a moving target as far as the interest of the audience. But sometimes you catch a wave and the story you're telling is one people are waiting for."

Nolan was also surprised by how audiences reacted to the film in theaters, revealing that he'd quietly gone into one of the film's sold-out IMAX screenings on opening night and was surprised at how focused and concentrated audiences were on the film.

"It was a remarkable experience to be there," Nolan said. "Every seat was filled, and the focus on what was happening on-screen was so strong. That level of engagement was something that I'd never really felt before. Real attention was being paid."

Oppenheimer Boosted IMAX's Quarterly Earnings

Oppenheimer was such a hit in theaters, grossing $180 million in IMAX tickets alone, that the film actually helped IMAX's revenue jump 51 percent during the most recently quarter.

"Imax financial results for the third quarter are spectacular by any measure — versus budget, versus our historical performance and in the context of a highly dynamic business environment for media and entertainment," Gelfond explained. "We are programming by far the strongest and most diverse content portfolio in our history — Hollywood blockbusters, local language films, marquee theatrical releases by streamers, concert films, docs, live events — and we couldn't be more pleased with the results across our global network."

What Is Oppenheimer About?

Oppenheimer follows the life of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project, and his contributions that led to the creation of the atomic bomb. The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Matthias Schweighöfer as Werner Heisenberg, Christopher Denham as Klaus Fuchs, Guy Burnet as George Eltenton, Danny Deferrari as Enrico Fermi, Emma Dumont as Jackie Oppenheimer, Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe, Trond Fausa Aurvåg as George Kistiakowsky, and Gary Oldman as Harry S. Truman.

"It's a story of immense scope and scale," Nolan previously said of the film in an interview with Total Film late last year. "And one of the most challenging projects I've ever taken on in terms of the scale of it, and in terms of encountering the breadth of Oppenheimer's story. There were big, logistical challenges, big practical challenges. But I had an extraordinary crew, and they really stepped up. It will be a while before we're finished. But certainly as I watch the results come in, and as I'm putting the film together, I'm thrilled with what my team has been able to achieve."