Christopher Nolan Isn't Happy About Oppenheimer Success For a Simple Reason

Summary:

• Oppenheimer has become Christopher Nolan 's third highest grossing film, trailing only the Batman movies
• However, because the film is a biopic and not a superhero movie, its success is unprecedented, leading to countless awards
• But it seems that such resonance has led to unexpected struggles for the filmmaker, which was revealed by Robert Downey Jr.

Considering that his filmmaking career spans over two decades and includes an impressive number of cult films, it has been quite some time since Christopher Nolan has become a world-famous director, with his name alone attracting audiences to theaters.

However, the runaway success of Oppenheimer, one of the biggest movies of 2023 that virtually everyone has heard of, has somehow managed to make him even more famous and propel his career to new, immeasurable heights.

Most filmmakers can only dream of such fame, but Nolan doesn't seem to be particularly fond of all the buzz surrounding his name.

Oppenheimer Success May Have Come At A Price For Nolan

Robert Downey Jr., who portrayed Lewis Strauss in the film, jokingly mentioned during his recent appearance at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival that Nolan is quite upset that people now recognize him on the street.

Downey also said that the filmmaker is struggling to come to terms with this new state of affairs and desperately needs to get "his spirits lifted."

While all of this could easily be a mere jest, the actor was oddly specific in his description of Nolan's view of the overwhelming success of his latest project, which has become his third-highest-grossing film.

Earning $955.5 million worldwide, Oppenheimer was only behind The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, which grossed $1.006 billion and $1.085 billion respectively, although this result is still very impressive considering it was a biopic and not based on an already massively popular character.

Some fans are skeptical about the actor's revelation, rightly pointing out that Christopher Nolan has been a household name in Hollywood for at least a decade, if not longer.

Nevertheless, the situation with Oppenheimer is indeed unprecedented, as the filmmaker has had to attend countless award ceremonies and other events, so it is definitely within the realm of possibility that all this buzz has finally taken its toll on him.

Cillian Murphy Has Also Expressed His Struggles With Fame

Coincidentally, Cillian Murphy, who portrayed the titular scientist in Nolan's film, has found himself in a similar position in recent years, as he has repeatedly stated in multiple interviews that he is not a fan of his own superstar status.

In particular, in his interview with Rolling Stone, the actor said that being the center of attention wherever he goes is rather annoying, and that he finds it offensive when fans take pictures of him while he is just trying to live his everyday life.

And while he, like Christopher Nolan, was already quite famous before his portrayal of the father of the atomic bomb, the huge impact the movie has made has probably only added to the discomfort the actor has experienced.

Anyway, for now very little is known about what Nolan's next movie will be, as he only mentioned that it might not be as dark and bleak as his most recent work, so it definitely seems that the filmmaker already has some ideas, even if it will take some time before fans finally learn the truth.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Reddit