Oppenheimer Is Half A Billion Away From Topping Christopher Nolan's Biggest Movie

After Christopher Nolan terminated his working relationship with Warner Bros. following the release of 2020's "Tenet," all eyes turned to the British auteur's next project. 

Several studios began courting Nolan in 2021, with Universal Pictures ultimately nabbing the privilege to distribute "Oppenheimer," a biopic on the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Nolan had several demands for his next project, some of which included receiving an exclusive 100-day theatrical window and a blackout period of three weeks, ensuring that the distributor wouldn't debut a film three weeks before of after the release of "Oppenheimer." Universal Pictures was willing to play ball with Nolan, awarding the director a $100 million budget. 

Before cameras began to roll, it was reasonable to assume that Nolan's "Oppenheimer" would be a modest hit and that Universal was willing to be flexible with the director just to be in business with him. After all, Nolan is one of the few working directors who continues to produce original, blockbuster projects that still makes waves at the box office. "Dunkirk," the director's war epic, made half a billion dollars in 2017. His previous flick, the sci-fi "Interstellar," made just shy of $650 million back in 2014. In an era where franchises dominate the theatrical landscape, Nolan is one of the few creatives who can classify himself as an IP.  "Oppenheimer" was dated for July 21 and many began to speculate that it wouldn't financially match the director's previous works — it boasted a three-hour runtime and an R-rating, which could deem it inaccessible. And there was also the "Barbie" of it all...

But as it stands, "Oppenheimer" is a box office juggernaut, with a gross north of $550 million, making it just half a billion dollars away from the director's highest-grossing film: "The Dark Knight Rises." 

"Oppenheimer" has emerged as a cultural juggernaut, thanks in part to the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, which saw fans healthily pitting the film against Greta Gerwig's "Barbie." Both debuted on the same day and managed to compliment one another at the box office, with cinema goers making it a point to watch both back-to-back. To date, "Oppenheimer" has grossed over $550 million worldwide. Its domestic total stands at $228 million, per The Numbers. During its third weekend at the box office, the film officially crossed $500 million — a staggeringly high number for a three-hour long, R-rated, dialogue-heavy film in 2023. 

It was initially projected to open to $50 million stateside, per The Guardian, though it debuted to $82 million. Now, "Oppenheimer" shows no signs of stopping — thanks in part to international hype, with foreign markets like India and the United Kingdom helping Nolan's latest cross over $327 million. "Oppenheimer" now is less than half a billion dollars away from replacing "The Dark Knight Rises" as the director's highest-grossing film. The final flick in "The Dark Knight" trilogy, "TDKR" debuted to a whopping $160 million in 2012 and managed to rope in a global cume of $1.08 billion. 

Does "Oppenheimer" have what it takes to beat "The Dark Knight Rises"? As exciting of a prospect that is, it remains doubtful, as not even Nolan's instant classic "Inception" wasn't able to touch $1 billion — it peaked at $870 million. It's likely "Oppenheimer" will globally bow out around $625 – $650 million, becoming Nolan's fourth highest-grossing film, behind "TDKR," "The Dark Knight," and "Inception."