The director’s final fee includes salary, bonuses, a percentage of box office receipts, and a bonus for awards at «Oscar 2024».
How to note Variety, citing its own sources, estimates that Christopher Nolan’s final earnings for «Oppenheimer» are close to $100 million.
Interestingly, the budget of the film itself was also $100 million, and Nolan reduced his own fees for directing, writing and producing to stay within this amount (although he eventually won much more in the end).
After its release in July 2013, Universal’s biopic about the creator of the atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer earned $958 million at the global box office — a huge amount, given the R-rating and three-hour duration. The film is also set to be re-released in 1000 theaters this weekend, potentially allowing it to exceed the $1 billion mark in earnings (so Nolan will get an extra bonus).
Forbes earlier reported that Universal, as part of its agreement to acquire the rights to «Oppenheimer», agreed to give Nolan 15% of the film’s first box office, meaning that payments would come before the studio recovers its costs. Initially, the director allegedly asked for 20%, but the request was reduced to 15%, while the remaining 5% could go to Emma Thomas, Nolan’s wife and longtime producing partner.
«Oppenheimer» this year triumphed at the «Oscars», which won seven awards at once — in addition to the main one for «Best Picture», the film received statuettes for directing, best actor and actress, and technical (editing, soundtrack and cinematography). Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. won their first «Oscars» in their careers.