Oppenheimer Box Office record: Highest grossing film in 97-YO TCL Chinese Theatre's history

Christopher Nolan's magnum opus Oppenheimer has broken a new record at the US box office. Oppenheimer has broken the record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) at Los Angeles’ iconic TCL Chinese Theatre. Here are the details.

Oppenheimer vs Star Wars at TCL Chinese Theatre

The Cillian Murphy starrer grossed $1.53 million in its first three weeks (by August 9) at the TCL Chinese Theatre in LA, compared to the same figure reached by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 15 weeks of its release in 2015. Oppenheimer overtook the previous record of Star Wars: The Force Awakens at $1.51 million.

Oppenheimer’s IMAX run at the BO

The J Robert Oppenheimer biopic earned $114.2 million from its IMAX screenings itself, thus earning it the title of the 8th highest-grossing IMAX release in the history of cinema. Oppenheimer is the second film to cross $100 million at the IMAX box office.
It may be noted that Christopher Nolan shot Oppenheimer in full frame IMAX 15 Perf 70mm Film. This format can only be played in 30 theaters around the world, including at the 97-year-old TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

Collider quotes Brett Fellman, an executive with the TCL Chinese Theatre, as saying, "It's been a historic run for us at the TCL Chinese, with weeks of sold-out shows. We've added 6 am shows for the last four weekends to satisfy audience demand.”

History and Tradition at TCL Chinese Theatre

The Chinese Theatre opened on May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's silent film The King of Kings.
In the same year, actor Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped onto some wet cement at the theater. Thus, a tradition was established of celebrities leaving a signature in the forecourt of the theater.

In 2013, the Chinese Theatre was renamed TCL after the electronics company secured the rights and installed an IMAX auditorium.
Oppenheimer released to a grand opening in the US on July 21, second only to Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie. The impressive IMAX collections of Oppenheimer could have been even more in terms of earnings, if the film had been allowed to release in markets like Japan, China, South Korea, and Russia, where it did not release.

FAQs

Is Oppenheimer a true story?
Oppenheimer, the film is based on the true story of US scientist and theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer. He is known as the ‘Father of the atomic bomb’.

When did the US drop the atomic bomb on Japan?
The atomic bomb was used in a nuclear attack by the USA on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan on August 6 and 9, respectively, in 1945, intending to end World War II.