Perhaps one of the most influential directors of this generation and my personal favorite, Christopher Nolan, is coming out with his new film – Oppenheimer this summer. After delivering blockbusters for two decades straight, Nolan experienced his first box office bomb in the form of 2020’s Tenet. While the film was grander than anything Nolan had done in the past, the narrative itself wasn’t for the normal audiences but science students. Too complicated and as Nolan famously said he didn’t care to explain, something he always did in his past ventures, however, confusing they maybe. Memento, Inception and Interstellar are prime examples of the same. With the filmmaker returning to making dramas, something he is proficient at, the hype for Oppenheimer is unreal. This may just be where we get the old Nolan back and today’s news further explores that possibility as nearly 21 years later a Christopher Nolan will be rated ‘R’, something that only his initial films did Following (1998), Memento (2000) and Insomnia (2002).
Will Oppenheimer’s R-rating Affect Its Box Office Pull?
Thanks to a new TV spot, it is confirmed that Oppenheimer is rated ‘R’ for “some sexuality, nudity, and language.” This will make the upcoming biographical drama the first Nolan film to be R-rated after Insomnia (2002) starring Al Pacino and Robbin Williams. The rating might come as a shock to many given the film is a period drama focusing on the behind the scenes work that went into the creation of the atomic bomb. All of Nolan’s recent releases have been PG-13 which is also a result of the massive budgets the filmmakers works with.
Nolan might be the only director to get such humungous budgets for what we call an original IP. Even a war drama like Dunkirk was PG-13 rated. A full list of Nolan’s films and their MPAA ratings can be seen below:
- Following (1998) – R
- Memento (2000) – R
- Insomnia (2002) – R
- Batman Begins (2005) – PG-13
- The Prestige (2006) – PG-13
- The Dark Knight (2008) – PG-13
- Inception (2010) – PG-13
- The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – PG-13
- Interstellar (2014) – PG-13
- Dunkirk (2017) – PG-13
- Tenet (2020) – PG-13
While this news is great for cine enthusiasts, as R-ratings are often associated with filmmakers true vision coming to screen rather than a sugarcoated version which PG-13 allows. However, one might also stop and wonder whether this R-rating is putting a damper on the box office performance of the film. Nolan is famous for putting butts in theatre seats simply because of the audiences’ adoration for him. Mostly a summer blockbuster isn’t R-rated so will this be a problem for the film? Maybe.
Because on the same day as Oppenheimer another summer blockbuster is releasing- Barbie. That film has a similar ensemble cast as Oppenheimer and has generated quite a bit of hype because of the director attached. Barbie just like any other summer movie has received a PG-13 film. Which enables it to target teen audiences and fill more seats as they’re the demographic which watches films more often than not. Oppenheimer also happens to be Nolan’s longest film yet, nearing three hours.
People shy away from long films nowadays which is another con for Oppenheimer and a point in Barbie’s favor as the film is definitely not three hours long. It is also important to note that all the box office success enjoyed by Nolan was pre pandemic. The market has changed after the pandemic so will Oppenheimer make its massive budget back and prove to be profitable is the true test for Nolan’s hold over the audience.
The Barbie vs Oppenheimer debate has been going for over a year now with many fans suspecting that one of the films would definitely be delayed to avoid a box office clash. However, nothing of the sort happened and I cannot believe that I’m saying this but considering all the new updates especially this rating which practically severs an age group of audience for Oppenheimer, the advantage lies with Barbie as for now. Whether Nolan will claim his throne back as the box office king or not all depends on Oppenheimer, a film which is also considered to earn him his well deserved first Oscar.
The story of the film 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.
Oppenheimer is set to release in theatres near you on 21st July 2023.
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