After Oppenheimer grossed $950 million at the box office and won several awards at the 2024 Oscars, Christopher Nolan got paid handsomely.

Variety is reporting that Nolan's payday for the film is “just south” of $100 million. This takes his salary, backend compensation, box office milestones, and bonuses for winning two awards at the 2024 Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director).

It certainly helped that the film was such a massive hit. As noted, Oppenheimer made over $950 million at the box office during its theatrical run. It opened to $82.4 million domestically during the July 19, 2023, weekend. This was the same weekend that Greta Gerwig's Barbie opened. Barbie happened to be the biggest film of 2023, grossing over $1.4 billion worldwide.

Christopher Nolan and Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer poster, Oscar stauette

Oppenheimer is the latest historical epic from Nolan. The film chronicles the career of the titular physicist, played by Cillian Murphy. It recounts the Manhattan Project and the subsequent aftermath.

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Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr. also starred in the film. Nolan assembled a star-studded ensemble with the likes of Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, and Benny Safdie also appearing in the film.

Despite being a legendary filmmaker, Nolan had surprisingly never won Best Director or Best Picture at the Oscars. That drought finally broke in 2024 when Oppenheimer took home seven of its 13 nominations. Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively, with Nolan taking home Best Picture and Best Director.

Christopher Nolan first gained notoriety for directing the likes of Memento and The Prestige. He has also directed the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Tenet.