Is the weight worth the wait?
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is gearing up to drop in theaters in less than two months. There is a lot to be excited about when we think about Nolan’s latest R-rated film, his first since Insomnia. From the double release with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to using practical effects for explosions to using special-made cameras to capture the explosions in slow motion, we can’t wait to see what this three-hour, IMAX masterpiece has in store for us.
Nolan confirmed last month to Total Film magazine that Oppenheimer is the longest movie of his career, running shy of the three-hour mark. However, the IMAX film prints tell a different story.
According to the Associated Press, Oppenheimer’s IMAX prints are “11 miles of film stock” that “weigh some 600 pounds.” Typical of Nolan’s style, the auteur filmmaker used a few different types of film cameras to capture the explosive nature of Oppenheimer: the IMAX MKII, Panavision Sphero 65 with Hasselblad Lenses IMAX MKIV, Panavision Sphero 65 and Hasselblad Lenses IMAX MSM 9802, Panavision Sphero 65 and Hasselblad Lenses Panavision Panaflex System 65 Studio, a Photo-Sonics 35mm 4C high-speed rotary prism camera, and finally, Panavision System 65.
“We know it had to be a showstopper,” Nolan told AP. “We’re able to do things with picture now that before we were really only able to do with sound in terms of an oversize impact for the audience–an almost physical sense of response to the film.”
We already know that those practical explosions filmed with the rotary prism camera will look fantastic, but the remained of the film will engross the audience in the film. We will be seeing new cinema cameras being used for the first time, and, knowing Nolan, shots in IMAX that we’ve never seen before. Oppenheimer will be a cinephile’s greatest joy this summer.
“The sharpness and the clarity and the depth of the image is unparalleled,” Nolan said. “The headline, for me, is by shooting on IMAX 70mm film, you’re really letting the screen disappear. You’re getting a feeling of 3D without the glasses. You’ve got a huge screen and you’re filling the peripheral vision of the audience. You’re immersing them in the world of the film.”
A film this big deserves the biggest screen and the best viewing experience. Universal Picture now has tickets available for the film in premium theaters such as IMAX 70mm, 70mm, IMAX digital, 35mm, Dolby Cinema, and more.
However, Nolan suggests to AP that the “best possible experience” for viewing Oppenheimer is the IMAX 70mm film format. However, that format only exists in 25 theaters across North America. Some of those venues include the AMC Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles, the AMC Lincoln Square in New York, the Cinemark Dallas, the Regal King of Prussia near Philadelphia, and the AutoNation Imax in Fort Lauderdale.
Get your tickets for Oppenheimer now before they are all gone!
Oppenheimer opens in all theaters in the US on July 21, 2023.
