Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' reported runtime makes jaws drop as film is set to be auteur's longest

'Oppenheimer' is set to release exclusively in theatres on July 21, 2023
PUBLISHED MAR 25, 2023
An official poster of 'Oppenheimer' and Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer in 'Oppenheimer' (IMDb)
An official poster of 'Oppenheimer' and Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer in 'Oppenheimer' (IMDb)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After the science fiction 'Tenet', the legendary auteur Christopher Nolan is gearing up for one of the biggest releases this year with the historical 'Oppenheimer'. The movie is already receiving a lot of hype worldwide. Recent reports also suggest that Nolan's next magnum opus  is set to have an epic runtime too.

'Oppenheimer' has a stellar set of a cast that includes Cillian Murphy as J Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon as Leslie Groves Jr., Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Josh Hartnett as Ernest Lawrence, Jack Quaid as Richard Feynman and Gustaf Skarsgård as Hans Bethe. The movie also stars Tony Goldwyn, Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, David Dastmalchian, Dane DeHaan, Casey Affleck and Alex Wolff in unnamed roles.

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What is the runtime of 'Oppenheimer'?

According to Comicbook.com (via Puck), the upcoming biographical movie 'Oppenheimer' will have a runtime of approximately 180 minutes (3 hours), making it one of the longest films of Nolan yet. This is not the first time Nolan has directed a long-running movie. For instance, his 2014 science fiction 'Interstellar' had a runtime of 2h 49m and his 2012 Batman movie 'The Dark Night Rises' had a runtime of 2h 45m. Both films were nearing the 180-minute mark. But 'Oppenheimer' is the one that is slated to breach that runtime record for the director. This long duration will definitely be an unmatched theater experience for the audience and if it does have the signature Nolan's twist too, the cup will runeth over.

It is no doubt that movie buffs have been waiting for this film to release for a long time. News of the runtime is a cherry on top. If it is anything like Nolan's past films like 'Interstellar' and 'Inception', the runtime is not just a gimmick but rather the time needed for the director to tell his story properly.  We will probably be too busy immersed in the film to notice 3 hours go by.


 
 
 
 
 
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What is 'Oppenheimer' about?

'Oppenheimer' sets to tell the story of Physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, who led a team of scientists at the infamous Manhattan Project during World War II that led to the production of the first atomic bomb. 'Oppenheimer' is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin titled 'American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer'.   



 

Another interesting fact to be noted is that Nolan is always known for his usage of practical effects in his movies, rather than using CGI. And some of the notable practical sequences in his movies include the plane crash sequence from 'Tenet'. This tradition continues in 'Oppenheimer' as the team recreated the first atomic weapon detonation with practical effects alone. 

'Oppenheimer' is set to release exclusively in theatres on July 21, 2023.

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