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Many fans loved Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimer, though it did not feel good to sit through three hours with no bathroom breaks. The lengthy runtime of the movie was one of its top criticisms, even the director’s wife was not happy about it.
Oppenheimeremerged as one of the most successful films from last year, bringing a star-studded cast onto the big screen to tell the epic story of the father of the atomic bomb. Such a long history would be difficult to condense in just three hours, but Nolan managed to do it.
ALSO READ:“It’s by far the most emotional”: Christopher Nolan’s Favorite James Bond Movie Doesn’t Even Feature Daniel Craig or Sean Connery That Became a Cult-Classic Years Later
OppenheimerProducer Was Not Thrilled With Movie’s Long Runtime
Emma Thomas, producer forOppenheimerand wife ofChristopher Nolan, spoke withVarietyand tackled the most pressing issue about the movie – its lengthy runtime. Like many fans, she also disagreed with the three-hour duration.
“My biggest concern when I read Oppenheimer was how the film was going to come together as a cohesive whole. It’s not a film that’s easy to define; I knew he wanted to shoot a lot of it in black and white, and it was three hours — which I wasn’t really happy about.”
Released in July last year, the film was poised to become a summer blockbuster, competing alongsideMargot Robbie’sBarbie. Thomas felt skeptical about its performance knowing it is not the usual type of movie that people go and see in theaters during summertime.
“I knew he wanted to release it in the summer, make it a big summer movie. So when I read the script, my biggest worry was less logistics and more like how are we going to make this a big summer movie?”
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She admitted thatOppenheimercould never be any shorter, with all the content and substance of the movie that Nolan tried to encapsulate in three hours. In fact, the director would compare it to Marvel Studios’Avengers, the longest one running for three hours and two minutes.
“The problem was there was really no way you could cut it down. When you look at that book, there wasn’t any version of this film that wasn’t going to be three hours. When I first started moaning about it, Chris would say, ‘Well, you know… The Avengers.’”
Despite the lengthy runtime,Oppenheimerended up as a box office victory and will soon gain more profit as it gets a rerelease on IMAX this January 12.
ALSO READ:“That’s a hell of a movie”: Christopher Nolan’s Favorite Quentin Tarantino Movie is the One That Was Inspired by a Cult-Classic Horror Flick Starring Kurt Russell
Jo Koy Takes A Jab AtOppenheimerAt The Golden Globe Awards
While Emma Thomas hatedOppenheimer’s long duration, comedianJo Koymade fun of it at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. He opened the event with a monologue, and one of his speeches criticized Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece viaToday.
“I loved Oppenheimer. I just got one complaint — needed another hour. Felt like it need some more backstory. My New Year’s resolution for 2024 is to finish Oppenheimer in 2025. I love Oppenheimer, especially the first season.”
While some of Jo Koy’s jokes failed to land at the event, there is definitely a grain of truth in his jab atOppenheimer.
Ariane Cruz
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3533
Ariane Cruz is a Senior Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 3,000 articles published. Her love for pop culture and the creative arts fuels her passion to deliver engaging and informative stories. Her daily consumption of films, shows, and books keeps her energized for the day, along with her mission to serve as the bridge between fans and their favorite franchises.
