It has been estimated that Christopher Nolan will make over $85 million (£66 million) in gross billings for his film Oppenheimer.
A new report by Matt Craig for Forbes reveals that Nolan agreed to a deal with Universal after splitting with his long-time studio partners Warner Bros. after being one of several industry figures who criticised the studio for their decision to release their entire slate of 2021 movies simultaneously in cinemas and on HBO Max.
Nolan’s deal with Universal sees him earn a 15% cut of Oppenheimer’s “first-dollar gross,” which means he earns a portion of the film’s revenue from the outset, even before the studio recovers its costs (per Collider).
The Golden Globe winning director has made over $85 million from Oppenheimer‘s box office success, home video sales, and the initial streaming rights ($72 Million after deducting agent and lawyer fees). His earnings are expected to increase after the film lands additional streaming deals and future licensing plans.
In Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the real-life American physicist who played a pivotal role in the creation of the atomic bomb in World War II is played by Cillian Murphy.
Oppenheimer was the biggest winner at this year’s BAFTAs, winning a total of seven, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Murphy. It is also predicted to dominate this year’s Oscars, currently sitting on 13 nominations.
In a five-star review of the the film, NME shared: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking. For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”
Elsewhere, Nolan recently revealed that there is a line of dialogue in his 2008 film The Dark Knight that continues to “plague” him to this day.