Paul Thomas Anderson Applauds ‘Oppenheimer’ & Its Massive Box Office: “I Would Call This Nature’s Way Of Healing”

As of this writing, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has grossed more than $900 million at the global box office. That’s well above everyone’s highest expectations. Hell, Nolan himself probably didn’t expect his three-hour biopic about a physicist would gross nearly a billion dollars. Yet, it has. And for one of Nolan’s contemporaries, Paul Thomas Anderson, this is cause for celebration.

READ MORE: Steven Soderbergh Calls ‘Oppenheimer’ A “Real Accomplishment” & Is Excited By The ‘Barbenheimer’ Craze

Speaking to the AP, while discussing the success of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Paul Thomas Anderson took time to talk about the impact the film has had on the industry and film fans, in general. When you look at how Nolan positioned his film and promoted it as an event to be witnessed in specialty cinemas, Anderson believes the filmmaker has done something truly special and has greatly impacted the industry. 

“When a filmmaker as strong as Chris is pointing a finger at you and telling you where to go…you listen…and audiences have been rewarded for it,” Anderson said. “I know some film buffs who drove from El Paso to Dallas to see the film properly. That’s about 18 hours round trip.”

READ MORE: ‘Oppenheimer’: Dialogue In Film May Be Hard To Hear Because Christopher Nolan Doesn’t Re-Record Actors In Post-Production

This is in reference to Universal bending over backwards to have Christopher Nolan explain to audiences that you have to witness “Oppenheimer” in the biggest screens in its best format. This meant, people were driving long distances and going out of their way to watch the film in 70mm IMAX, as the filmmaker intended. And as we know, Nolan is perhaps the biggest proponent of film (as in the physical medium) and imploring people to see “Oppenheimer” on film forced cinemas to adapt, decreasing the number of digital projections and becoming massively popular in its native format. 

“I don’t think there’s anyone who could disagree – seeing ‘Oppenheimer’ on film is superior in every single way,” said the filmmaker. “Not to mention, people are tired of asking, ‘Why would I go to a movie theater to watch TV?’ Good question…you don’t have to anymore.”

Overall, Anderson believes the success of “Oppenheimer” is a massive boon for the industry and filmmakers who believe celluloid is the way to go.

“I would call this nature’s way of healing,” he said.

“Oppenheimer” is still in some theaters as it wraps up its run this fall before hitting home media soon. So, if you want to catch Nolan’s vision in the format it was intended, you better hurry up and get back in the cinema.