'Seeing the great master watch was... irresistible', Christopher Nolan on showing 'Oppenheimer' to Steven Spielberg

Featuring Cillian Murphy as the father of the atomic bomb, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer became a full-fledged blockbuster at the global box office. It turned out as the third highest-grossing movie of the year, surpassing big biggies like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Fast X, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

That being said, the film not only witnessed ultimate box office glory but also emerged as a big winner at the award shows. Based on the life of American theoretical physicist J Robert Oppenheimer, the film explores the invention of the atomic bomb and further the implications of the deadly weapon.

While the film opened with massive success globally, it was none other than the three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg who was the first person to see Oppenheimer’s 70mm print.

Christopher Nolan recalls ‘watching’ Steven Spielberg watch Oppenheimer

In a recent conversation with the Associated Press, Christopher Nolan sat down for a discussion with Dune filmmaker Denis Villeneuve and revealed that he showed Oppenheimer to Spielberg as soon as the 70mm film print arrived in his possession. The director further also went on to share his experience of witnessing the “master” watch his film.

“When I got 70mm/5perf print, I showed it to Stephen Spielberg,” Nolan said during the conversation further adding that the Jurassic Park director called him for something else but he used the opportunity and screened the film for his own.

“I sat behind him and watched him watch the film. It was an extraordinary experience,” the filmmaker said. Villeneuve also joined in the conversation and recalled Spielberg mentioning that he absolutely adored the film.

“He said some very kind things, but really just to watch him watch. I wasn’t even supposed to watch it with him, but seeing the great master watching? It was sort of irresistible,” he concluded.

Oppenheimer at the Academy Awards

The unknown anecdote comes just at a time when Oppenheimer is gearing up for the Academy Awards 2024 with 13 nominations in hand. Besides the success of Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan is also in the news for his 2020 spy epic film Tenet returning to IMAX and 70mm locations for a limited time.