Oppenheimer Crosses $900 Million, Set to Become Highest-Grossing Biopic Ever

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer surpasses its final box office milestone, as it begins the billion-dollar quest.

Even in its ninth weekend, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer keeps on refusing to slow down, at least in the overseas markets. The film has once again piled on its already rich list of records.

The 3-hour-long epic World War 2 drama has officially reached the "Trinity Test" stage of its epic box office run since it managed to cross the pivotal $900 million mark from its Friday performance. While this figure is already more than double what was needed to turn a profit, as well as the early estimations, the film, performing like a major superhero film at this point, has evidently started to chase a few more milestones, beginning with the $1 billion mark.

As of Friday, the estimated total stands at $903 million, with a major share of $586 million contributed by international markets. With Sunday's weekend numbers factored in, industry experts project the global revenue to reach somewhere around $912 million. This monumental success will certainly secure its position as the highest-grossing biographical film in history, surpassing the previous record-holder, 2018 Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody — which also happens to star Oppenheimer actor Rami Malek.

The film's top five performing international markets are the UK ($72.6 million), China ($50 million), Germany ($47.5 million), France ($41.3 million), and Australia ($26.2) million. The film is still steady in China and the market is likely to decide whether it reaches the billion-dollar club. Notably, the film has also drawn Universal Studios into the spotlight, as the studio managed to surpass the $4 billion mark in global box office revenue for 2023.

Universal Has a Great Year at the Box Office

In addition to Oppenheimer, Fast X, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and M3GAN, have all contributed to Universal's success, as it became only the second studio to achieve this feat in the current year. It also marks the third instance of any studio reaching this milestone since 2019, with Universal achieving it for the fourth time in its history after 2015, 2017, and 2018.

The film also stands as Nolan's third-highest-grossing film behind The Dark Knight Rises and The Dark Knight, as well as the year's third-highest behind Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The film is also the second-highest-grossing R-rated film behind 2019's Joker and the highest as a World War 2 film. Additionally, Oppenheimer is also the fifth most successful film in IMAX with over $170 million. What makes this feat even more special is the film is entirely surrounded by superheroes and major blockbuster franchises including Avatar, Avengers, and Star Wars.

Starring a star-studded ensemble of Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, and Rami Malek, among others, Oppenheimer made its international debut on July 21 and has since enjoyed widespread acclaim and commercial success, with numerous critics calling it a front-runner at the upcoming awards season.