Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer in ‘Oppenheimer’.Photo:Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerhas made box-office history.
The film — which just this month became thethird-biggest theatrical triumphof 2023 — has now gone where no biopic has gone before, earning over $912 million worldwide throughout its run in theaters, perBox Office Mojo.
As a result, the film following the journey of J. Robert Oppenheimer has become the highest grossing biopic of all time, surpassing 2018’sBohemian Rhapsody, which itself earned $910 million globally. The latter film chronicled Queen’s front-man Freddie Mercury’s rise to fame.
Oppenheimerstill isn’t the biggest film of the year, as that title goes toGreta Gerwig’sBarbie, which was released on the same day and has since surpassed $1.4 billion internationally.
Oppenheimerhas put Nolan, 53, even further in the history books. It marks his largest theatrical success since 2012’sThe Dark Knight Rises, which itself passed the global $1 billion mark.
The milestone comes as it was reported earlier on Monday that the film, starringCillian Murphyas the titular character, crossed the $900 million mark.
While it has surpassedGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3in terms of 2023 numbers, it still sits behindBarbieandThe Super Mario Bros.Moviefor the year’s highest-earning efforts.
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Some of the movie’s success can be attributed to the fan-coined “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, which saw theater-goers check out bothOppenheimerandBarbiefollowing their release date on July 21.Box Office Mojoalso credits that weekend as the biggest theatrically in 2023 so far.
“ForOppenheimerto cross the $900 million global mark after just nine weeks in theaters is a remarkable achievement,” senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian toldVariety. “It shows how an amazing film with a superstar director and a star-studded cast can turn a three-hour historical epic into a blockbuster mainstream hit.”
“Those last few miles of any theatrical run are the toughest,” he added. “But at this point, […] it’s a total winner no matter the ultimate outcome.”
source: people.com
