How Christopher Nolan earned a massive $85M from directing 'Oppenheimer'
Last year, Hollywood's leading director Christopher Nolan hit it out of the park with his genre-defining biographical drama Oppenheimer, which opened to massive critical and commercial acclaim. While awards have been raining for Nolan and the film's star Cillian Murphy, the monetary benefits are not too far behind. Per a recent report by Forbes, the Inception director has already raked in a whopping $85M and the number is likely to go up further!
Nolan's 'first-dollar gross' contract is the key behind his earnings
This has been made possible due to his "first-dollar gross" contract. This deal means Nolan gets 15% of every buck the film makes until Universal Pictures covers all its expenses. But here's the catch: Universal might never fully recoup their costs, at least not officially. That means Nolan's earnings could keep growing as Oppenheimer makes its way to streaming platforms and cable licensing. Excluding his lawyer's and agent's fees, Nolan's earnings stand at $72M pre-tax.
Hollywood's highest-grossing directors
Per BroBible, Nolan holds the seventh spot among Hollywood's highest-grossing directors ever. The legendary Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park) tops the list with a mind-blowing $10,696,894,028 in box office earnings, followed by James Cameron (Titanic) at $8,702,543,077. Other big names on the list include the Russo brothers (Avengers: Endgane), Peter Jackson (King Kong), Michael Bay (Armageddon), David Yates (four Harry Potter films), J.J. Abrams (Mission: Impossible III), Ridley Scott (Napoleon), and Tim Burton (Beetlejuice). Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has made over $900M.
What is directors' payscale generally?
In a 2017 article, Vanity Fair quoted an insider as saying, "A lot of the younger directors are being paid significantly higher than the established directors who have been around forever." "There's still a lot of money to be made," an insider clarified, "but only when the movie works." Separately, Studio Binder says, "For high budget films (which cost over $11M), the director's weekly salary is $20,616, with a guaranteed preparation period of two weeks."
Know more about supporting cast, source, real Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer (2005). It follows the titular protagonist Oppenheimer, who spearheaded the US-led Manhattan Project to create the atomic bomb during World War II. Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, Jack Quaid, and Gary Oldman, among others, also star in the epic biographical thriller. It's projected to sweep the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday.