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Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is not only responsible for a massive cultural moment and expected to be a major contender at next year’s Academy Awards, but it’s a box office behemoth.
At the time of this writing, Nolan’s 3-hour R-rated biopic has grossed an astounding $942 million worldwide, making it the highest R-rated film ever made behind only 2019’s billion-dollar-grossing Joker.
And yet, despite the fact that Nolan himself is clearly one of the true saviors and shepherds of the theatrical experience, the 53-year-old director was recently full of praise for what Taylor Swift has done to help the art form and the industry.
“Taylor Swift is about to show the studios, because her concert film is not being distributed by the studios, it’s being distributed by a theater owner, AMC, and it’s going to make an enormous amount of money,” Nolan said at a recent City University of New York event.
“And this is the thing, [theatrical exhibition is] a format and a way of seeing things and sharing stories, or sharing experiences, that’s incredibly valuable. And if [the studios] don’t want it, somebody else will. So that’s just the truth of it,” Nolan told the CUNY crowd.
Given what will likely be a massive Academy Award season push — Oppenheimer is currently the betting favorite in categories such as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Cillian Murphy, and more — it wouldn’t be surprising if Universal Pictures decided to rerelease the film in theaters early next year to see if they could top the $1B mark.
Nolan is certainly due for some love from the Academy, as the iconic British filmmaker has been nominated five times but has never won. One of his actors, however, famously won Best Supporting Actor — Heath Ledgers for his work in The Dark Knight.
Oppenheimer will be released on 4K, Blu-ray, and digital platforms on Tuesday, November 21.