Here’s something no one expected when this summer began: “Oppenheimer” has now grossed more at the box office for Universal than “Fast X.”
In its fifth weekend in theaters, “Oppenheimer” has reached $717.8 million in global grosses. In doing so, it has passed the $704.7 million global total of the latest installment of the “Fast & Furious” series, a tentpole franchise for Universal.
And among director Christopher Nolan’s past work, “Oppenheimer” has now passed the unadjusted $677 million global total of his 2014 sci-fi film “Interstellar.” Next on the list: “Inception,” which grossed $837.1 million before inflation adjustment in 2010.
Insiders at Universal told TheWrap that the studio had pinpointed Nolan’s World War II film “Dunkirk” as the metric for box office success for “Oppenheimer.” That film grossed $525 million in 2017.
But despite its three-hour runtime and bleak subject matter, “Oppenheimer” is now the fourth highest-grossing film of 2023. It’s only beaten by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Barbie” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” It’s also now the second highest-grossing biopic in box office history, behind just Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” at $903 million.
Nolan’s status as one of the few directors in Hollywood whose name alone makes his films a cinematic event was a major factor in this success. Universal also partnered with IMAX to build off of this event status and encourage audiences to see the movie on the biggest screen possible. $146 million — approximately one-fifth of the film’s global grosses — have come from IMAX theaters alone, making “Oppenheimer” one of the top 5 highest-grossing films ever for the format.
