November 9, 2023
Break out the tobacco pipes and fedora hats: Writer-director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has returned to Imax screens for a one-week encore presentation, reports Variety.
The blockbuster historical drama was back on the big(gest) screen starting on Friday, November 3—including six Imax 70mm film locations worldwide: AMC CityWalk Stadium 19 in Hollywood, California; AMC Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, California; AMC Lincoln Square in New York City; AMC Metreon 16 in San Francisco; BFI London in the United Kingdom; and Melbourne Museum in Australia. These premium screens were the first to sell out during the film’s initial box office run.
The re-release comes at a quiet time for the box office, without any major releases on the calendar for the upcoming weekend. Disney’s superhero adventure “The Marvels” will claim most of the Imax footprint when it opens in theaters on Friday, November 10.
“Oppenheimer,” starring Cillian Murphy as the so-called “father of the atomic bomb,” has already earned a staggering $946 million at the worldwide box office. It’s the third-highest grossing movie of the year, as well as the second-highest grossing R-rated film in history.
During the press tour last summer, Nolan extensively talked up the use of Imax cameras—prompting some devoted fans to cross state lines to catch the film in the best possible quality.
As a result, “Oppenehimer” grossed $183 million from Imax—to become its fourth-highest grossing release of all time. It also pushed Imax to its highest-grossing summer ever in 54 countries, including the United States and China.
What’s more, bringing “Oppenheimer” back to Imax has been no small feat: Each finished Imax film print of “Oppenheimer” spans over 11 miles of film stock and weighs 600 pounds.
Research contact: @Variety