Universal’s 2022 box office success streak is proving that Christopher Nolan made the right choice for his Oppenheimer studio move. Christopher Nolan is particularly notable for his box office prowess and prioritization of cinematic experiences, which is why the streaming release strategy Warner Bros. came up with after Tenet (2020) was so disappointing. After a nearly 20-year-long partnership, Christopher Nolan left Warner Bros., striking a new deal with Universal in anticipation of the release of his next project Oppenheimer (2023).
Not only is Oppenheimer being produced under a new studio, but the subject matter also takes Christopher Nolan into uncharted waters. While Nolan will still be working with his typical metaphysical and time-obsessed themes, Oppenheimer is his first hand at the biopic drama genre. The upcoming film – which boasts a cast of A-list stars like Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek – explores the scientific contributions of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy). Set amidst World War II, Oppenheimer managed the Los Alamos Laboratory during the Manhattan Project and became known as the “father of the atomic bomb.”
Considering Top Gun: Maverick has managed to outperform Marvel and DC movies at the 2022 box office and surpass Avengers: Infinity War’s domestic box office record, the blockbuster formula perfected by Christopher Nolan is finding renewed success in theaters. This development is already setting the tone for Oppenheimer to be a massive hit in summer 2023, so in addition to its anticipation by virtue of being a Christopher Nolan film with one of the most stacked A-list casts in recent history, the enormous potential for its box office performance can’t be understated. Not to mention that Universal Pictures is the first studio to reach the $3 billion mark at the 2022 box office, whereas Nolan’s old Warner Bros. has yet to break $2 billion. With Universal prioritizing summer blockbusters, non-Marvel films making theatrical comebacks, and the upcoming film's intense star power, Oppenheimer will truly be explosive in 2023.
Why Christopher Nolan Left WB For Universal
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented all film studios with major setbacks in movies slated to be released after March 2020, Warner Bros. handled the new norm in a unique manner; which happened to be a strategy directly opposing Christopher Nolan’s exhibition philosophy. While Disney tested out the dual theatrical and Premier Access streaming releases, the studio eventually settled on prioritizing cinematic experiences. Similarly, Universal tested out dual streaming and theatrical releases for new movies, but this wasn’t the norm. However, Warner Bros. decided to use the model of dual theatrical and HBO Max streaming releases for all 2021 releases, with The Batman being its first pandemic-era film since Tenet to have an exclusive theatrical premiere.
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (released in September 2020) was the very first Hollywood tent-pole that premiered in theaters during the pandemic, so it wasn’t affected by the subsequent move to simultaneous streaming and theatrical releases. However, it was shortly after Tenet’s theatrical premiere that Warner Brothers decided it would be launching the 2021 same day-and-date theatrical and streaming release strategy, which Christopher Nolan strongly disagreed with. Nolan’s decision to leave Warner Bros. was also underscored by his assertion that the studio had disrespected filmmakers by failing to properly communicate that movies in 2021 would be released on HBO Max and theaters simultaneously (via ET).
Alongside Tom Cruise, whose lobbying for big theatrical releases no doubt influenced Top Gun 2’s massive success, Christopher Nolan is one of Hollywood’s most vocal champions of cinematic experiences, so after 19 years of partnership with WB, he was eager to find a new studio that would meet these needs. Universal Pictures ended up offering Nolan the freedom he desired for Oppenheimer, perhaps working to take Warner Bros’ prior reputation as a director-driven studio. With Universal now enjoying partnerships with Jordan Peele, M. Night Shyamalan, and Christopher Nolan, it’s certainly proving itself as the studio for directors whose names alone fill seats in theaters.
Christopher Nolan’s Impressive Box Office History Explained (Including Tenet)
If any modern director can fill seats just by the mention of their name, it’s Christopher Nolan. Aside from Tenet, whose theatrical release was disrupted in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic but still managed to make over $300 million at the box office, Christopher Nolan has always made a profit with his films. For a director who has had significant financing since 2000, this is a particularly impressive box office feat, as even Steven Spielberg has directed some notable bombs.
Beginning with the indie film Following in 1998, Nolan’s debut earned nearly $50,000 against a budget of only $6,000. Nolan’s next project Memento made $40 million with a modest budget of $9 million, with his first big blockbuster arriving with 2002’s Insomnia, which brought in over $114 million at the box office. His next Warner Bros film was Batman Begins, with the first movie in his Dark Knight trilogy making $373.3 million. In 2008, Nolan cemented himself as a blockbuster auteur, earning an incredible $1.006 billion at the box office against a budget of $185 million for his Batman sequel The Dark Knight. The hit director wouldn’t slow with his next project, as Inception raked in an incredible $836.8 million for a non-franchise film.
When returning to his superhero trilogy, Nolan directed one of the highest-grossing films of all time, as The Dark Knight Rises made $1.081 billion at the box office – his highest earner to date. The Academy Award-winning Interstellar then made $709.8 million in theaters, with his 2017 war movie Dunkirk following up with a $527 million box office haul. While Tenet, which has been described as Christopher Nolan’s James Bond film, technically bombed at the box office with a $365 million total against a $200 million budget, it still became the 5th-highest-grossing movie of 2020 amidst a limited release slate. As Oppenheimer coincides with a triumphant return to theatrical moviegoing, it's needless to say that it will surpass the box office performance of Tenet.
How Much Money Universal & WB Have Made During Summer 2022
On August 13, Universal Pictures officially passed the $3 billion mark in earnings at the 2022 worldwide box office, the first studio to do so since 2019 (via Deadline). As of August 14, Universal Pictures’ international box office total was over $1.74 billion while its domestic total was over $1.28 billion. However, what’s more impressive is the summer blockbuster performance of Universal, which has miraculously surpassed Disney’s summer release totals. Since Oppenheimer is slated to be released on July 21, 2023, the summer 2022 box office for the studio is essential for predicting its future success.
The summer blockbuster season is generally considered to last from Memorial Day Weekend in late May to Labor Day Weekend in early September, which makes Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick the clear winner of the summer with over $1.357 billion worldwide and counting. However, Universal Pictures has released several big blockbusters during this time, including Jurassic World Dominion ($975 million), Minions: The Rise of Gru ($791 million), The Black Phone ($153 million), and Jordan Peele’s Nope ($114 million). During summer 2022 alone, Universal Pictures has accumulated approximately $2.033 billion at the worldwide box office. In comparison, Christopher Nolan’s previous studio Warner Bros. has only released Elvis ($262 million) and DC League of Super Pets ($109 million), which brings its summer total so far to approximately $371 million. If one studio is proving itself the better fit for summer blockbusters, it’s Nolan’s current Universal Pictures.
Oppenheimer Could Be Nolan’s Biggest Movie Since TDK Trilogy
If using Top Gun: Maverick as a market indicator, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer has a real chance to see a $1 billion pay-day in summer 2023. Oppenheimer is a remarkably different movie from Top Gun 2, but they share a similar target audience and underlying assets of thrills, incredible star power, and scientific, war-based missions. The audience that reliably showed up (again and again) for Top Gun: Maverick largely covers the same base of viewers that Oppenheimer will be marketed for, so it’s a refreshing development for Nolan’s biopic that the Tom Cruise action movie was able to break so many box office records with non-Marvel ticket-buyers.
Oppenheimer is premiering on July 21, 2023 against Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie, which isn’t necessarily aimed at the same audience, but could still see some significant competition. If anything, the 2023 box office could see an uptick during this weekend as audiences make their way to theaters for a non-related double feature. The MCU’s The Marvels will be released the following weekend and could pull away some of Oppenheimer’s audience base, but it’s more likely that the two will share a prolonged window throughout the summer for theatrical success.
The last time Christopher Nolan passed the $1 billion mark at the box office was for 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, with his three subsequent movies continuing to decrease in profits. However, none have seen the utter star power that Oppenheimer possesses, and paired with the summer success of Universal Pictures, Nolan’s next movie is in the right hands for the cinematic event he desires. Oppenheimer only needs about $400 million globally to turn a profit, but can be expected to earn a far greater box office haul that will perhaps reflect his billion-dollar peak with The Dark Knight trilogy.
