‘Oppenheimer’ sets unique box office record

Oppenheimer has become the highest-grossing film ever to not reach the top spot at the box office.

• READ MORE: ‘Oppenheimer’ review: Christopher Nolan’s mind-blowing biopic hits like a bomb to the brain

Christopher Nolan‘s historical drama — which sees Cillian Murphy star as Robert J. Oppenheimer, the real-life American physicist who played a pivotal role in the creation of the atomic bomb — has been a critical and commercial success following its release in cinemas last month.

The film recently became the most successful WWII-related film of all time after surpassing $500million (£392m) at the global box office. But now it’s set a new, more peculiar record.

After surpassing $272.59m in the US on Wednesday (August 16), the film has become the highest grossing release ever to not claim the top spot at the domestic box office.

The previous record holder was the 2016 animation Sing, while other titles to achieve the same feat include My Big Fat Greek Wedding, A Star Is Born, and the Robert Downey Jr-led Sherlock Holmes.

While Oppenheimer has performed well at both the global and domestic box office — largely thanks to the Barbenheimer publicity storm — Barbie still holds the current top spot in the US with just under $542m.

In a glowing five-star review of Oppenheimer, NME wrote: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking.

“For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”

Speaking exclusively to NME, Murphy recently explained how the cast of the film were impacted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Murphy said the cast were hyper aware of the events in Ukraine, especially after it emerged that Russian president Vladimir Putin had responded to international sanctions by lining his borders with tactical nuclear missiles.

“It was everywhere, and we were fully aware of that,” Murphy said of the invasion. “The threat [of nuclear war] has escalated and receded over the years since 1945… and now it’s back. It’s always there, this Sword Of Damocles that is hanging over us.”