After shattering many box office records by grossing over $946 million worldwide and becoming the first-ever highest-grossing World War II-related film, Christopher Nolan’s 2023 epic biographical thriller film starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer will be back on the silver screens for an exclusive one-week encore presentation starting this Friday, November 3, 2023.
The special screening will also include Imax 70mm film projection locations worldwide, including four AMC Imax screens in California and New York City and two more locations in London and Melbourne, Australia. More specifications about the locations are as follows:
- 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
- Melbourne Museum in Australia
Based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film chronicles the career of Oppenheimer, who was an American theoretical physicist credited with being the “father of the atomic bomb” for his role in the Manhattan Project—the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons. The story predominantly focuses on his studies, his direction of the Manhattan Project, and his eventual fall from grace due to his 1954 security hearing.
Along with Cillian Murphy playing the titular role the film also stars Emily Blunt as Oppenheimer’s wife “Kitty”, Matt Damon as head of the Manhattan Project Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as U.S. Atomic Energy Commission member Lewis Strauss, and Florence Pugh as Oppenheimer’s communist lover Jean Tatlock. On the other hand, the ensemble supporting cast includes Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, and Kenneth Branagh.
Oppenheimer was shot by cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema as it was filmed in 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. Like his previous works, Nolan made extensive use of practical effects, with minimal computer-generated imagery used to perfect the former. Editing was handled by Jennifer Lame, and the score was composed by Ludwig Göransson.
The film was released on the same day as Barbie, a fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig based on Mattel’s Barbie fashion dolls and media franchise. The trend was dubbed “Barbenheimer,” and was labeled as counterprogramming during a summer of “entertainment industry meltdown.” In an interview with La Vanguardia, Murphy, 47, endorsed the phenomenon, saying: “My advice would be for people to go see both, on the same day. If they are good films, then that’s cinema’s gain.”
Universal Pictures halted the release of its titles in Russia, joining other major American film distributors in the boycott against the country following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It consequently did not have a Russian release.
In Japan, the only country to have been attacked by nuclear bombs, the film is yet to have a release date. In late June 2023, a Universal Pictures spokesperson told Variety, “Plans have not been finalized in all markets.” Variety also pointed out that it is not uncommon for American films to be released in Japan months after their theatrical debut in the United States.
As of writing this, the film received critical acclaim and grossed over $946 million worldwide. Apart from being the highest-grossing World War II-related film, it became the third-highest-grossing film of 2023, the highest-grossing biographical film, and the second-highest-grossing R-rated film. In addition to this, the film is Nolan’s fourth to receive an R-rating in the United States, followed by Following (1998), Memento (2000), and Insomnia (2002).
Oppenheimer will be released on 4K Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, and DVD formats, including digital, on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.
Oppenheimer is yours to own on 4K, Blu-ray™, and Digital November 21. Christopher Nolan’s global blockbuster premieres at home with over 3 hours of special features. pic.twitter.com/qUJRCwPoUC
— Oppenheimer (@OppenheimerFilm) October 17, 2023