Oppenheimer (film)

Oppenheimer
Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer stands in front of the ignited "Gadget" nuclear bomb.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChristopher Nolan
Screenplay byChristopher Nolan
Based on
American Prometheus
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHoyte van Hoytema
Edited byJennifer Lame
Music byLudwig Göransson
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • July 11, 2023 (2023-07-11) (Le Grand Rex)
  • July 21, 2023 (2023-07-21) (United States and United Kingdom)
Running time
180 minutes[1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100 million[2]
Box office$976.8 million[3][4]

Oppenheimer is a 2023 epic biographical thriller film written for the screen, produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan.[5] The film follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who helped develop the first nuclear weapons during World War II. Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film dramatizes Oppenheimer's studies, his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory and his 1954 security hearing. Cillian Murphy stars as Oppenheimer, alongside Robert Downey Jr. as the United States Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss. The ensemble supporting cast includes Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.

Oppenheimer was announced in September 2021. It is Nolan's first film not distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures since Memento (2000), due to his conflicts regarding the studio's simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release schedule.[6] Murphy was the first cast member to sign on the following month, with the rest joining between November 2021 and April 2022. Pre-production began by January 2022, and filming took place from February to May. The cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema, used a combination of IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film, including, for the first time, scenes in IMAX black-and-white film photography. As with many of his previous films, Nolan used extensive practical effects, with minimal compositing.

Oppenheimer premiered at Le Grand Rex in Paris on July 11, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States and the United Kingdom on July 21 by Universal Pictures. Its concurrent release with Warner Bros.'s Barbie was the catalyst of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon, encouraging audiences to see both films as a double feature. Oppenheimer grossed over $976 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2023, the highest-grossing World War II-related film, the highest-grossing biographical film and the second-highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of its release.

The recipient of many accolades, Oppenheimer was nominated for leading thirteen categories at 96th Academy Awards, and won leading seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Murphy), and Best Supporting Actor (Downey). It also won five Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture – Drama) and seven British Academy Film Awards (including Best Film), and was named one of the top ten films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. Since then it has been regarded as one of the greatest films of the 2020s and the 21st century.

  1. ^ "Oppenheimer (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 6, 2023. Archived from the original on July 6, 2023. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Keegan, Rebecca (July 14, 2023). "'This Can't Be Safe. It's Got to Have Bite': Christopher Nolan and Cast Unleash Oppenheimer". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Oppenheimer". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  4. ^ "Oppenheimer". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  5. ^ Scott, A. O. (October 21, 2023). "Are Fears of A.I. and Nuclear Apocalypse Keeping You Up? Blame Prometheus. - How an ancient Greek myth explains our terrifying modern reality". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Fleming, Mike (September 14, 2021). "Christopher Nolan Chooses Universal Pictures For His Film About J. Robert Oppenheimer & The A-Bomb". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.