Only One R-Rated Film That Stands Above Oppenheimer At The Box Office
Despite stiff competition from Greta Gerwig's "Barbie," "Oppenheimer" has done incredibly well at the box office. While the film, which explores the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, may seem a bit drier than typical summer fare, that hasn't stopped it from climbing the charts and out-grossing all but two of Christoper Nolan's previous films so far.
While "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises" still hover out of reach for Nolan's latest, there is another popular "Batman" character who still holds the top spot for the highest-grossing R-rated film. Todd Phillips' "Joker" passed the coveted $1 billion mark, and "Oppenheimer" is poised to possibly pull off the same feat, as it currently sits at $865 million in box office receipts, as of this writing, and could be on its way to beating an interesting $900 million box office record along the way.
However, given that "Joker" was in its seventh week when it passed the $1 billion mark, it looks like "Oppenheimer" will need to have some legs in order to catch up to that film's final box office total of $1.074 billion. As it stands, "Joker" already beat Nolan's own take on the character in "The Dark Knight," even if it wasn't able to make quite as much as the third film in the trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises."
Could Oppenheimer overtake Joker at the box office?
"Oppenheimer," which is also currently entering its seventh week, still needs to make a little over $200 million in order to catch up to "Joker." Considering its critical acclaim, however, the film could get a boost around award season. Of course, that's assuming all of the awards shows don't get pushed back due to the ongoing writer's strike — something that is looking more and more likely as time goes on.
Meanwhile, "Joker" was nominated for several Oscars of its own, two of which it won. Still, this category is a place where "Oppenheimer" could make a bigger impact, as the film has been highly touted by critics, filmmakers, and general fans, especially compared to the more mixed reception that "Joker" received at the time of its release.
Either way, though, fans will have to keep an eye on "Oppenheimer" as it continues to climb its way up the top 100 highest-grossing movies of all time. While it's unlikely to overtake Warner Bros.' "Barbie," there's no telling how long the fuse could keep burning for this biopic.