A talent manager, who represents A-listers, tells Forbes that Christopher Nolan is “the biggest movie star in the world right now.” Given the incredible year he just had, it isn’t hyperbole to believe that. Nolan is currently on top of the world, much like James Cameron was in 1998 with “Titanic.”
Nolan certainly has the money to back up that claim. Forbes is estimating that Nolan earned 15% of Oppenheimer’s “first-dollar gross,” meaning “he gets paid a share of every cent the movie earns even before the studio recoups its expenses”. They estimate that Nolan has, so far, made $85 million off the film. The total will continue to rise as the movie gets re-sold to streamers and is licensed for years to come.
This is a night and day success compared to Nolan’s last film, 2020’s “Tenet,” which had the misfortune of getting released during the thick of the pandemic. The result of the “Oppenheimer” success has Warner Bros trying to court the filmmaker back to its ranks after a falling out due to their insistence in having “Tenet” premiere on streaming much earlier than expected.
When asked about his next project, and what Nolan’s next deal might look like, one top entertainment lawyer puts it simply: “Whatever he wants it to be.” Nolan is at the peak of his powers and popularity, and not many saw this coming. He does have the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon to thank for that, but it helps that Nolan made a genuinely good film out of ‘Oppenheimer,” which is now set to sweep up the Oscars tomorrow night.