The Big Picture
- IMAX accounted for 20% of Oppenheimer’s global opening weekend, generating $180.4 million at the box office, thanks to Christopher Nolan’s support for the format.
- The film has earned an impressive $17 million from just 30 IMAX 70mm screens, highlighting the demand for this premium large screen format.
- Oppenheimer continues to sell out theaters worldwide, prompting an extended run to satisfy audience demand, and it is likely to make a return to IMAX theaters in the future.
Oppenheimer, the R-rated three-hour drama about scientists in suits talking about physics in stuffy rooms, has somehow managed to conquer the American cinematic landscape this season. That the director is Christopher Nolan is undoubtedly a big help, but the most staggering numbers from this film’s immense box office return have come from IMAX, the premium large screen format which the director has championed for well over a decade now.
IMAX accounted for 20% of the film’s $180.4 global opening weekend, but what’s more astonishing is that, to date, the film—which just became the highest-grossing movie in domestic theatrical history to never hit number one in the box office, thanks to Barbie—has pocketed an eyewatering $17 million in 70mm screenings alone. Now, that’s not a huge sum of money in the grand scheme, but when you add perspective, it suddenly becomes clear. That perspective? There are only 30 IMAX 70mm screens in the world, with 19 in the US. $17 million from just 30 screens.
The film continues to sell out theaters across not just the United States, but the rest of the world, which led to the film’s run in theaters being extended as long as feasibly possible in order to keep up with the demand. Oppenheimer still has exclusive play on 70mm screens until September 1, when it must give them up, contractually, to Denzel Washington‘s The Equalizer 3, while it will share IMAX screens with Blue Beetle and Gran Turismo once those films open. But don’t expect this to be the last you see of Oppenheimer in IMAX theaters.
Balancing Commitments
“We really want to support Chris and the movie in every way we can, but we have to balance that with our other commitments,” says Richard Gelfond, CEO of IMAX. “We’ll play it by ear and see where it goes.”
Mark Jafar, IMAX’s global head of corporate communications, adds, “IMAX 70mm film lasts, on average, 10 times longer than regular 70mm or 35mm film. Those prints are assets that we’ll be using for the next 20 years.” Jafar is bullish in his belief that specialty theaters like BFI in London and AMC Lincoln Square in New York will bring back Oppenheimer in IMAX 70mm for Nolan retrospectives in the future, alongside other favourites like Interstellar.
To date, IMAX has generated $134 million for Oppenheimer worldwide. It’s fair to say that, in an allegedly dying multiplex world, at least one format is flourishing. You can check out our interview with Nolan for Oppenheimer down below.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
