Barbie and Oppenheimer‘s latest box office projections have revealed that Barbie will be earning $70 million to $80 million in its opening weekend. This is double the projected box office collection for Oppenheimer, which is expected to make around $40 million when it opens. Both films have a budget of around $100 million, though, even if Oppenheimer doesn’t outperform Barbie, they’re both likely to turn a profit by the end of their theatrical runs. However, these stats were before the true figures were revealed. Today we have found out the actual cost of making Oppenheimer and how it compares to Barbie’s actual budget. After you read these figures I doubt we can still expect both films to be equally profitable.
Why Is Oppenheimer So Expensive?
New comments from Christopher Nolan have revealed that Oppenheimer costs 80% more than we expected it to. While speaking with Variety, Nolan revealed that the real budget of his magnum opus is $180 million. Nolan had said, “The runtime is two minutes shorter than ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ so we cling to that. I said to (producer) Emma Thomas very early on that it’s going to be a three-hour film. I have to write a script that reflects that. That was our conversation with the studio. It’s a big story and needs a big talent. It’s a 180-page script and it’s a $180 million movie.”
While $180 million might sound a lot but it is nowhere near Nolan’s previous endeavours. The talented filmmaker’s most expensive film is The Dark Knight Rises which costed $230 million to make. A full list of Nolan’s films and their production budgets can be seen below:
- Following – $6,000
- Memento – $9 million
- Insomnia – $46 million
- Batman Begins – $150 million
- The Prestige – $40 million
- The Dark Knight – $185 million
- Inception – $160 million
- The Dark Knight Rises – $230 million
- Interstellar – $165 million
- Dunkirk – $150 million
- Tenet – $205 million
- Oppenheimer – $180 million
Since the success of the Dark Knight trilogy Christopher Nolan has not made a film which has costed less than $150 million to make it. So, it seems like if a studio wants a Nolan movie, that $150 million mark is simply the cost of doing business. In comparison, Barbie’s budget is $145 million. With a lower budget and a bigger opening, Barbie seems to be the favourite when it comes to the box office race that has been Barbenheimer.
The story of Oppenheimer is adapted from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer will be the first film to be shot in B/W and IMAX. The film is made on a hefty budget of $100 Million. The film basically has half of Hollywood in it including Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck, Michael Angarano and without a doubt Michael Caine.
The World Changes Forever On 21st July 2023.
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