- Christopher Nolan’s biographical drama Oppenheimer has outgrossed major superhero movies, earning nearly $650 million globally in just three weeks.
- The film’s domestic tally reached $264 million, with $385 million from international territories, making it the sixth-biggest Hollywood release this year.
- The success of Oppenheimer was likely boosted by the “Barbenheimer” meme, and despite Nolan’s split from Warner Bros., the studio is reportedly trying to win him back.
A complex, three-hour biographical drama has outperformed all three of the year’s blockbuster superhero films, which have all performed poorly at the box office.
This weekend, Oppenheimer, the latest film from Christopher Nolan, continued to dominate the box office and achieved yet another significant milestone.
The movie has already amassed close to $650 million worldwide after being shown for three complete weeks in theaters.
This weekend, Oppenheimer added $18.8 million to its domestic total—its fourth—bringing its overall gross to $264 million. With $385 million from 78 foreign markets, the movie has earned $649 million worldwide.
Oppenheimer will now focus on Interstellar and Inception, both of which completed with almost $800 million globally, after surpassing Nolan’s own World War II movie Dunkirk at the global box office.
The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, which both brought in a little bit more than $1 billion, continue to be Nolan’s highest grossing movies worldwide.
He is a major supporter of the theater experience and is maybe the only director in the world who can get people to the movies regardless of the film he is promoting.
This is hardly the kind of business you often see in a historical drama. Surprisingly, $134 million, or 21%, of Oppenheimer’s global revenue, came from IMAX theaters.