“Oppenheimer” is still bringing in the Benjamins … as the Oscar winner brought in another couple mil at the box office … only this time, in Japan.
According to Variety, the period drama — which took home the Best Picture at the Oscars — made its long-awaited release in Japan this weekend … 8 months after it premiered in the States.
Getty
On its face, the Japan showing certainly seemed to be a success … as it added an extra $2.5 million to the box office record for “Oppenheimer” — which now stands at $965 million in ticket sales globally.
The Cillian Murphy-led film opened in 343 theaters in Japan, placing 3rd in the country’s box office charts. Other movies beat out “Oppenheimer” — including the horror flick, “A Strange House,” and an animated movie, called “Haikyu!!”
While this may not seem wildly impressive compared to other box office opening weekends, Universal Pictures — which distributed “Oppenheimer” — defended the film beating out ‘Aquaman 2’s opening weekend box office numbers in Japan, as well as ‘Dune 2’s.
With that said, it’s safe to say there was a bit more anticipation surrounding the release of “Oppenheimer.”
Remember, while the film was released in most countries, Japan’s main sub-distributor decided not to go ahead with its release last summer because of the drama’s subject matter — AKA the creation of the atomic bomb, which was dropped on the country in 1945.
Eventually, Indie distributor Bitters End decided to move forward with the release, defending Christopher Nolan‘s work as a cinematic experience that needed to be seen on the big screen.
