Oppenheimer's China Numbers Revealed, Crosses Both Deadpool Films

Oppenheimer kicks off the China debut with a promising opening day, in Christopher Nolan's presence.

In another groundbreaking launch, Oppenheimer, the latest cinematic spectacle from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan, has officially hit theaters in China.

Raking in an estimated $5.4 million on its opening day, the film has landed a decent start, and is already generating significant buzz, as its stellar performance on the review aggregator site Maoyan has granted it an audience score of 9.5/10, a record high for any Nolan movie. Furthermore, the verdict on Douban stands strong at 8.7, tying with Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, released back in 2012. Additionally, the film also crossed the $300 million mark in the North American box office.

If early estimates hold true, the weekend is expected to exceed the $20 million mark, hinting at a promising trajectory for this cinematic spectacle. Notably, the China debut figure encompasses $300,000 earned from Monday midnight screenings. This strong initial reception gains even more significance considering the fading popularity of midnight showings since the pandemic. The fact that the film managed to draw over $5 million on a regular day without the advantage of a holiday, it is expected to get further momentum.

Comparing with other Nolan films, the launch day performance dipped 35% from those of Dunkirk and Tenet, both of which had released on a regular Friday. When comparing to Interstellar, also released on a Wednesday, Oppenheimer had an impressive 11% improvement, while it also surged 38% beyond the Monday debut of The Dark Knight Rises. When compared to other 2023 releases, these figures align closely with the Friday opening earnings of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, which had a $19 million opening weekend and ended its run with just over $39 million. However, that film was critically panned and did not get a positive word of mouth.

Meanwhile, Interstellar, despite earning less than Oppenheimer on opening Wednesday, ended the weekend at $42 million and overall haul at $123 million, a figure that may push Oppenheimer beyond $1 billion. Inception, Tenet, and Dunkirk ended their run at $68 million, $66 million, and $51 million, respectively. Nolan has consistently enjoyed strong reception in China, with the country leading the offshore market charts for Inception in 2010, Interstellar in 2014, and Tenet in 2020. As reported earlier, Nolan has become the first major Hollywood filmmaker to travel to the Chinese market since the pandemic. During his visit, the filmmaker attended screenings, insightful Q&A sessions, and direct interaction with fans in Beijing and Shanghai.

Oppenheimer Is Predicted to Reach $43 Million

Maoyan's early prediction hints at a potential total run of approximately $43 million for the film, a figure expected to evolve as time progresses, mimicking the runs of other Nolan films. However, it's noteworthy that local productions have recently gained the upper hand over Hollywood releases, setting the stage for a fierce competition. While the Warner Bros.' box office triumph, Barbie only raked $34 million from the country, the already popular Mission: Impossible franchise fell flat in the market, only collecting $48 million, as opposed to the previous films' over $100 million marks. However, Meg 2: The Trench and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts still had a commendable run, grossing over $111 million and $90 million respectively.

Regardless of the final numbers, Oppenheimer is on the brink of crossing the remarkable $800 million global box office threshold this weekend. With a global tally of $788.9 million as of Tuesday, it has now surpassed both Deadpool and Deadpool 2, to become the second highest grossing R-rated film of all time, behind Joker. The film has amassed a substantial $487.7 million from international markets alone, becoming the fourth highest-grossing Hollywood title overseas this year, surpassing even Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Additionally, Oppenheimer toppled Barbie this weekend to reign the top of the worldwide box office, and reigns as the most successful Nolan film of all time in 56 offshore territories

Oppenheimer is currently playing in theaters.