Out in theaters on July 19, Oppenheimer continues to explode at the box office! Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the father of the atomic bomb has earned nearly $800 million worldwide!
The work, which immerses us in the tortured and fascinating psyche of Robert Oppenheimer, lasts 3 hours and will test the nerves of the audience! However, the film could have been even longer if Nolan had not decided to cut down on the shooting time.
Indeed, Oppenheimer was shot in just under 2 months, which is quite short for a blockbuster of this scale with a $100 million budget. Initially, the work plan provided for 85 days. Christopher Nolan preferred to tighten up the duration of the shooting… but for what reason?
he asked at the microphone Team Deakins PodcastProduction designer Ruth de Jong revealed why the filmmaker made this rare decision. In general, directors do not spare a month of filming; The more time they have to shoot, the happier they are. For de Jong, Oppenheimer was more like making an independent film than a $100 million blockbuster.
Nolan wanted to film on real locations across the United States, but that would blow the budget. In addition, the site that hosted Manhattan Project scientists in New Mexico had to be built from A to Z. “I realize that I have to build a Los Alamos that does not exist. That’s when I felt that it was impossible. Chris said to me: forget about money. Let’s plan what we want”The decorator recalls.
“Then we did the first estimate for the construction of the city, which was $20 million. Chris said, ‘Okay, no. Stop. We had a huge white model and I started taking out buildings, and we wanted to shoot. In New York, New Jersey, Berkeley, Los- Angeles and New Mexico.”Ruth de Jong explains.
Christopher Nolan then told his team to be patient as he had to go. “doing homework”. The director reorganized the shooting schedule to combine days and free up the budget for scenery. Thus, the scriptwriter reduced the duration of a month’s turnaround from 85 to 55 days.
“The producers asked me what I could do to reduce the budget on my end. Thomas Haislip He came into my office and said: ‘Chris is going to shoot in 55 days.’ That’s a lot of money we got back!
At that point I felt compelled to overdo it because she had just given up precious days. Most of all, Nolan knows what he wants to do every day and how to do it, so he went from 85 days to 55.said Ruth de Jong.
Christopher Nolan finally wins his bet. By shortening his shooting days and using digital effects, allocating more budget to his sets, his works gained realism. This authenticity partly explains the film’s success and its worldwide gross of 800 million greenbacks. In France, Oppenheimer attracted almost 4 million viewers.
Source: Allocine
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
