The Big Picture

  • Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer continues to perform strongly at the box office, with international earnings of $618.3 million and a worldwide gross of $942 million.
  • Despite facing tough competition from Greta Gerwig's Barbie, Oppenheimer remains the third-highest grossing movie globally in 2023, reaching near $1 billion.
  • In addition to its financial success, Oppenheimer has received critical acclaim, with a certified fresh score of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience's demand for the film is a testament to its impact.

Despite being out in theaters nationwide since July 21, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is still holding its own at the box office, especially internationally. This weekend, the film's international box office reached a total of $618.3 million while its worldwide gross hit $942 million. On Friday, Oppenheimer earned another $69,000 domestically. It experienced a 40-percent drop from the previous week, but it also managed to jump a position at the domestic box office.

The film currently has a domestic total of $323.4 million.This summer, Oppenheimer went toe-to-toe against Greta Gerwig's Barbie, in what is now referred to as "Barbenheimer." While Oppenheimer seems to be nearing the $1 billion dollar mark, Barbie has since crossed that milestone to become the highest grossing movie of 2023 with $1.4 billion. It is worth noting that Barbie had a family friend rating while Oppenheimer was rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language. What's more, the biopic is three hours long. Despite all this, it is the third-highest grossing movie at the global box office in 2023.

Oppenheimer is also the twelfth film of Nolan's prolific career, and is his third-highest grossing movie domestically. However, his highest grossing movie at the global box office, with $1.08 billion, remains The Dark Knight Rises. Beyond its success at the box office, the biopic was a critical success as well, earning a certified fresh score of 93 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

'Oppenheimer' and 'Barbie' Are Still Performing at the Box Office

Jean Tatlock, played by Florence Pugh and J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian-Murphy in Oppenheimer
Image Via Universal Pictures

This Friday, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour topped the domestic box office with $39 million, and seems to have pulled in between $95 and $97 million during the weekend as a whole. However, Oppenheimer managed to snag the 14th position while Barbie is also still holding its own, coming in at No. 12 this past Friday with $120,000.

Oppenheimer is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, and stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, and more. While speaking with AP News last month, Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas discussed the film's longevity at the box office despite its heavy thematic themes and lengthy runtime.

“When you make a film, you hope that you’re going to connect with an audience in some form or another. But, particularly with a three-hour film that has a serious subject and is challenging in many ways, this sort of success is beyond our wildest imaginings... The reason we’re still in those theaters is because the audience is demanding it. This is not something that we can impose — I wish we could, but it’s genuine.”

Stay tuned to Collider for updates on Oppenheimer.