Documentary/Biopic Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

[Arachnerd]

I get the appeal but I'm still surprised it passed $700M WW. It's not exactly a fun "I want to go back and see this multiple times" kind of blockbuster like No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick or Barbie.

Well, neither is Oppenheimer and you see how well that's doing. I think general audiences are just kind of hungering for movies outside the usual expectations now (Barbenheimer has helped this notion tremendously) which is a good thing.

 

[Iceman]

Well, neither is Oppenheimer and you see how well that's doing. I think general audiences are just kind of hungering for movies outside the usual expectations now (Barbenheimer has helped this notion tremendously) which is a good thing.

Anecdotally from a bunch of conversations with GA people, many are looking out specifically for films that are different from the norm as opposed to the nonstop sequels and formulaic films of recent years.

 

[kguillou]

Joker made money for the same reason Oppenheimer is making money, social media. Thats the name of the game these days, if a movie makes waves on social media with memes and wom people will want to go see what all the hubbub is about. Joker was a social media phenomenon, almost as much as Endgame was that same year.

Oppenheimer is making waves now, partly in thanks to Barbie, but all this money its making is coming from people who wanna see what all the fuss is about.

 

[Filmfreak]

Joker made money for the same reason Oppenheimer is making money, social media. Thats the name of the game these days, if a movie makes waves on social media with memes and wom people will want to go see what all the hubbub is about. Joker was a social media phenomenon, almost as much as Endgame was that same year.

Oppenheimer is making waves now, partly in thanks to Barbie, but all this money its making is coming from people who wanna see what all the fuss is about.

That's what Sony thought too when they re-released Morbius, and they lost even more money because of that.

While you're not wrong, I do think it depends on many factors and it doesn't always guarantee success. The same way a lack of social media presence doesn't automatically mean a movie is going to flop. No one was talking about The Way of Water, most people thought it was because no one cared anymore, and the film did 2.3 billion dollars.

 

[Iceman]

Social media can be a sign of early hype but you need that to feed through to the masses and it often does but not always.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

It’s this type of thinking that led people to re-release Morbius. Only to be greeted with a flop.

 

[Iceman]

It’s this type of thinking that led people to re-release Morbius. Only to be greeted with a flop.

Snakes on a Plane also seemed like a big internet hit but that didn’t translate to people turning up to see it.

 

[kguillou]

I feel like Morbius was only a meme to us, though. Us movie/comic geeks. I dont think your average joe paid attention to the "Its Morbin Time" memes.Oppenheimer's presence on social media is HUGE, largely thanks to its pairing with Barbie. I think without Barbie the movie still would have done well but not this well.

 

[Iceman]

I feel like Morbius was only a meme to us, though. Us movie/comic geeks. I dont think your average joe paid attention to the "Its Morbin Time" memes.Oppenheimer's presence on social media is HUGE, largely thanks to its pairing with Barbie. I think without Barbie the movie still would have done well but not this well.

I think it depends what kind of social media too. If your mum is mentioning it on Facebook then it’s broken through. IMO some other social media platforms don’t have that kind of huge reach beyond people who are already aware of most big films.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Blade Hoarder]

The “average Joe” doesn’t use Twitter. The platform is only used by 10 percent of Americans.

Not to mention Oppenheimer is a PLF/Imax heavy movie. Which means reserved in advanced. You can’t just walk your way into a PLF screening of Oppenheimer because of a meme.

 

[Iceman]

Shame he had to cut costs but looks like he’s very efficient at reallocating assets to get the best results regardless.

 

[Filmfreak]

Nolan has always been excellent in budget management. Unlike Scorsese.

 

[BatLobster]

I think Barbenheimer def helped give it a nice boost for opening weekend with all the double features and all, but the continued strong run and legs it is showing have to be attributed to good ol' fashioned word of mouth and the fact that the movie is actually phenomenal. And simply market meeting demand. People were hungry for serious, challenging adult fare made for the big screen and Nolan, the exactly right filmmaker for the job, delivered. I really think it's that simple. I also think the trailers did an excellent job presenting the movie as something super compelling and worth seeing. Wanting to be part of the cultural conversation is a valid and real thing but I think it goes far beyond just the silly memes.

 

[Kane52630]

 

[Dr.]

I think Barbenheimer def helped give it a nice boost for opening weekend with all the double features and all, but the continued strong run and legs it is showing have to be attributed to good ol' fashioned word of mouth and the fact that the movie is actually phenomenal...

Easy to imagine that WB is kicking itself for letting Nolan go; in another universe, they might have had both Barbie and Oppenheimer.

On the other hand… WB would never have released these movies on the same day — or maybe not even in the same month. So there wouldn’t have been that uncanny “Barbenheimer” synergy that seems to have greatly benefitted both films.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

“Can you hear the music” is now at 6 million plus views. :blush:

 

[Kane52630]

Yeah that track is being used in memes.

 

[Blade Hoarder]

It’s the new “cornfield chase”.

 

[Iceman]

Easy to imagine that WB is kicking itself for letting Nolan go; in another universe, they might have had both Barbie and Oppenheimer.

On the other hand… WB would never have released these movies on the same day — or maybe not even in the same month. So there wouldn’t have been that uncanny “Barbenheimer” synergy that seems to have greatly benefitted both films.

Yeah, they wouldn’t have got Barbenheimer but they would have still benefited largely from having Oppenheimer and then likely future stuff from Nolan too. It should be obvious to anyone that letting Nolan go in any way is an extremely dumb move.

 

[Filmfreak]

And they had the chance to win him back by offering him a sweet deal, because as far as I remember WB was still in the mix when he was shopping Oppenheimer in multiple studios. And the failed to do that too.

 

[Kane52630]

It's still possible for Nolan to come back to Warner Bros because Alan Horn is back at WB.

 

[emielaen]

WB did everything for Nolan w Tenet then he was upset about Max. But hindsight is 20/20. Passing on a $100M+ 3H R-rated biopic isn't some braindead move in the moment.

I imagine everyone will be fighting for his next project, WB and Universal being at the top.

 

[Boom]

I just don't see him leaving Universal at this point, unless WBD offered him an obscene amount of money that Universal wouldn't be willing to match.

 

[Iceman]

WB did everything for Nolan w Tenet then he was upset about Max. But hindsight is 20/20. Passing on a $100M+ 3H R-rated biopic isn't some braindead move in the moment.

I imagine everyone will be fighting for his next project, WB and Universal being at the top.

Passing on that would make sense yeah, except when it’s Nolan lol. I’d take a loss on a film if it meant Nolan would get more entrenched with my studio (he might even feel he owes the studio a favour if he made a loss for them after they backed him). There’s not many Nolans around, got to fight for them.