Christopher Nolan didn’t just get Oscar gold for “Oppenheimer,” he also made a whole lot of green.
The Academy Award-winning director has reportedly earned just shy of $100 million in salary, backend compensation and bonuses from the success of his 3-hour epic, according to a report in Variety citing sources with knowledge of his deal.
“Oppenheimer” — which took home seven Academy Awards this weekend, including Best Picture — earned more than $950 million at the global box office, buoyed in part by its 70-millimeter IMAX release.
Nolan’s earnings were boosted by box office escalators as well as bonuses for winning both Best Director and Best Picture, according to the report. The drama about the creation of the atomic bomb also earned Oscars for lead actor Cillian Murphy and supporting actor Robert Downey Jr.
With a rerelease looming following its Best Picture win, “Oppenheimer” has a chance to bring its box office over the $1 billion mark.
Reports of Nolan’s payday arrived on the heels of a Forbes report that Margot Robbie took home $78 million in gross earnings thanks largely to the massive success of “Barbie”, which raked in nearly $1.5 billion at the box office.
Indeed, “Barbenheimer” became a full-fledged phenomenon over the summer with theatergoers making a double feature out of the two wildly different films.
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