‘Oppenheimer’ Made Records with $33M Opening Day for R-Rated Film Post-Pandemic

Christopher Nolan‘s ‘Oppenheimer‘ scored $33 million on Friday, the biggest opening day for an R-rated film post-pandemic, surpassing ‘John Wick: Chapter 4,’ from 3,610 locations, including previews. The film has a 94% score from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, a 90 on Metacritic, an A on CinemaScore, and is projected to open to over $165 million worldwide.

On the other side, Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ opens big: $70.5 million domestically, its highest 2023 debut. Worldwide: $117.5 million, already $150 million+, on a $145 million budget. Expected weekend: $200–250 million.

Don’t miss ‘Oppenheimer’ in theaters, directed by Christopher Nolan. It’s a true masterpiece. You only get one chance to watch it, featuring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. Read our full review.

From Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer tells the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer (played by Cillian Murphy), a brilliant theoretical physicist who was appointed as the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, and Oppenheimer’s journey as he works tirelessly to develop the atomic bomb as part of the Manhattan Project, a top-secret government initiative. He works closely with Leslie Groves (played by Matt Damon), a military leader tasked with overseeing the project, and faces opposition from scientists who question the morality of creating such a destructive weapon.

The film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie as Edward Teller, Michael Angarano as Robert Serber, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Kenneth Branagh, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold as Frank Oppenheimer, David Krumholtz as Isidor Isaac Rabi, Alden Ehrenreich, Matthew Modine as Vannevar Bush, Jack Quaid, David Dastmalchian, Jason Clarke, Josh Peck as Kenneth Bainbridge, Devon Bostick as Seth Neddermeyer, Alex Wolff, Tony Goldwyn, Scott Grimes, Josh Zuckerman, and James D’Arcy.

‘Oppenheimer’ is now playing in theaters.