In the summer of 2023, Christopher Nolan released Oppenheimer, a juggernaut of a film that grossed almost $1 billion and won the Oscar for Best Picture. Just like when his 2017 war film Dunkirk exceeded expectations at the box office and with the critics or when Nolan released The Dark Knight in ‘08 or Inception in 2010, Oppenheimer sparked discussions about what, exactly, brings audiences to the theaters in droves for Christopher Nolan films.
Well, the recent IMAX re-release of Nolan’s 2014 space epic Interstellar presented a great opportunity for me, and millions of dollars of ticket sales worth of others, to consider that question all over again. Interstellar has always been an absolute feast for the senses. With large swaths of the movie shot directly onto IMAX film, some of the biggest, most heart-pounding set pieces imaginable, and one of the greatest film scores ever recorded, Interstellar, like all Nolan movies, was made to be enjoyed as big and as loud as possible.
And ultimately that’s what sets Nolan apart from other filmmakers. His movies always feel like events. Seeing a Nolan film in IMAX is more like going to the best concert you’ve ever experienced in your life than it is like just watching an hour or two of so-called “content.” He puts big ideas and big performances into motion, and then captures them in the highest resolution possible. The fact is, Nolan films being shown in IMAX theaters will always draw a crowd because he uses every tool at his disposal to fill even the biggest canvases imaginable. Interstellar is an incredible film, and that remains true at home. But some things are just best served in certain venues, and those who went to see Oppenheimer or Interstellar in IMAX will tell you, that format simply puts Christopher Nolan’s work over the top every time.
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