Oppenheimer Needs to Pass Just 1 Film to Become Biggest R-Rated Movie in History

Summer 2023 is officially over, but we can still savour its afterglow. Particularly in the film industry, the biggest summer releases are still making waves around the world.

From June to August, the world saw numerous top-tier productions hit theatres. From Sony's Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the influx of blockbusters was impressive. However, it was Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer that made the biggest splash. The latter has just claimed the title of the second-highest-grossing R-rated movie in history.

Oppenheimer Is Nolan's Most Mature Film

As suggested by the title, the biopic revolves around Robert Oppenheimer – the father of the atomic bomb. Set during WWII, the film chronicles the journey of the titular scientist, the bomb's creation, and the profound ramifications it had for him.

Spanning a whopping three hours, Oppenheimer gives ample room to convey Christopher Nolan's interpretation of the events and the physicist's character to viewers. The director's most detailed and mature film so far has really captivated audiences. It has made a staggering $853 million at the box office so far, and it now stands as the second-biggest R-rated film, surpassed only by Joker.

R-Rated Champions

Released in 2019, Todd Phillips's Joker offered a genuinely unique take on one of DC's most notorious villains. The movie earned $1.074 billion at the global box office, meaning it's still about $220 million ahead of Oppenheimer.

While it's unlikely that Nolan's biopic will climb this high, it has surpassed several A-list superhero films, including Logan ($619 million), Deadpool ($783 million), and Deadpool 2 ($786 million).

More notably, Oppenheimer is now Christopher Nolan's third highest-grossing film, trailing only the director's superhero entries in the Dark Knight franchise, which together raked in over $2 billion in revenue.

Few had expected a biopic about science to make this much money at the box office. And while Oppenheimer may not beat out Joker as the highest-grossing R-rated film, it has a very good chance of passing the $1 billion mark, seeing how it's still playing in theatres.