This is what Christopher Nolan would have gained from “Oppenheimer”

The big picture

Christopher Nolan has struck a lucrative deal with Universal to
Oppenheimer
earning a 15% share of the first gross dollar.
Known for his successful films, Nolan refuses to make films for streaming platforms in order to preserve the theatrical experience.
Nolan's success with
Oppenheimer
cements its brand as a bankable force within Hollywood's elite group of influential filmmakers.

Ahead of this weekend's Oscars, where it's expected Oppenheimer will leave with the majority of the awards, its director, Christopher Nolan, has also established himself as Hollywood's biggest star. Nolan, who is set to win his first Best Director award this Sunday, is breathing rarefied air at the moment, and a new report from Forbes has shed more light on just how much of a star Nolan has become thanks to his immense success. over the past 12 months.

Following a split with long-time partner Warner Bros.. After announcing a day-and-date plan for all theatrical releases to go straight to streaming, Nolan sought a new partner. When it came time to find a studio to help with production OppenheimerNolan had specific conditions. In order to protect the film's budget, Nolan chose to take the box office gross instead of paying upfront.. It needed a budget of $100 million for production, an additional $100 million allocated to marketing efforts, complete creative autonomy, extended theatrical releasea “non-compete” agreement whereby the studio would not release another film at the same time, and a 20% share of the first dollar gross.

Matt Craigin a long article for Forbesreports that Nolan finally reached a deal with Universal to earn a 15% share of Oppenheimer's “first dollar gross”, meaning he earns a portion of the film's revenue upfront, before the studio even recovers its costs, even though they agreed all its other conditions. Nolan's earnings from the film's box office success, home video sales and initial streaming rights are expected to be approximately $72 million before taxes, after deducting agent and attorney fees ( for a gross amount of 85 million dollars). That amount is expected to increase as the film secures additional streaming deals and continues to be licensed in the future, as well as possible theatrical re-releases following its Sunday night success.

It's further proof of Nolan's profitability as a brand: an auteur who meticulously plans his films with the mind of an independent filmmaker, but with the budget of a blockbuster studio director. Even considering some of its most important concepts—time dilation and gravity in Interstellar, dream flights and cities turned in on themselves Creationand even make Batman a realistic and believable vigilante in a real-life context – Nolan has always found a way, above all, to entertain audiences, as shown by the fact that every studio film he has produced since 2002 has grossed recipes. at least $100 million at the box office, while six of its last seven have exceeded $500 million. The only one who didn't succeed, the sci-fi action thriller, Principle, was released just a few months after the pandemic began, but still grossed $350 million.

As Forbes points out, earning raw points is still considered the pinnacle of influence in Hollywood. For actors, this type of contract has largely disappeared, with only a few veteran stars like Tom Cruise (who would have earned 12.5% of the gross amount of his recent Impossible mission film) still capable of negotiating such conditions, while few directors, like James Cameroncan demand the same. The fact that Nolan walks among these elite individuals identifies him as a force to be reckoned with.. And as long as its performance is as good as Oppenheimerwhy not ?

Will Christopher Nolan make films for streaming platforms?

In short, absolutely not. Nolan is considered a deity among the film and cinema communities, as a champion of the theatrical experience, while also being a huge skeptic of streaming as a platform.. Nolan asked viewers to see the film on IMAX 70mm when possible, and viewers listened. Oppenheimer became the fourth highest-grossing IMAX film of all time, grossing $183.2 million, or nearly 20% of the total. At the time of his separation from Warner Bros., he released this statement:

“Some of the greatest filmmakers and most important movie stars in our industry went to bed at night thinking they were working for the biggest movie studio and woke up to find they were working for the worst department in streaming,” he told The Hollywood Reporter, adding, “they don't even understand what they're losing.”

Even now that Oppenheimer was released on Peacock, Universal's streaming platform, Nolan urged fans to purchase physical copies of the film “so no evil streaming service can come and steal it from you.” Universal announced that it sold out its 4K Blu-rays in less than a week. Nolan's next move will be fascinating, but it's pretty clear it'll be whatever he chooses.