Christopher Nolan Feels “Great About the State of the Movie Business” After ‘Oppenheimer’ Success

Carly Thomas
·2 min read
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Christopher Nolan is looking back at his banner year in Hollywood thanks to Oppenheimer as well as the current state of the cinema landscape.

The summer box office saw a much-needed resurgence following the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw movie theaters shut down. But Nolan’s film and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie helped bring cinemagoers back in large numbers.

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Oppenheimer has gone on to gross $952 million, which not only has the filmmaker thrilled but also happy for the future of movies in general.

“I’ve just made a three-hour film about Robert Oppenheimer which is R-rated and half in black-and-white — and it made a billion dollars. Of course I think films are doing great,” Nolan recently told Empire magazine, laughing. “The crazy thing is that it’s literally the most successful film I’ve ever made.”

He continued, “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and in the United Kingdom it’s my highest-grossing film. So I feel great about the state of the movie business, based on my own experience. But also based on seeing other movies break out, seeing audiences come back.”

Nolan also told the outlet that throughout the summer, he and his producer wife, Emma Thomas, would sneak into movie theaters just to witness the public’s reaction for themselves — an experience he called “remarkable” and “quite overwhelming.”

“The audience’s desire to be surprised, to see something new, to see something they did not know they wanted, that’s always been the most powerful force in theatrical film,” The Dark Knight director added. “So it was wonderful to see that this year.”

Oppenheimer is currently available to rent or buy on VOD and digital platforms.

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