Oppenheimer (2023)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
The film follows the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist who led the development of the first nuclear weapons during World War II.
The story
In the 1930s, J. Robert Oppenheimer teaches at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. After World War II breaks out, he is approached by General Leslie Groves to lead the Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer proposes a new laboratory at Los Alamos, New Mexico, where they can build an atomic bomb before the Nazis. The film dramatizes Oppenheimer's studies, his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory, and his 1954 security hearing, following his role as the 'father of the atomic bomb' and his subsequent involvement in nuclear non-proliferation efforts.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer's journey from his studies in the 1930s to his leadership of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos. After the successful Trinity test and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer faces a transition into a role of public advocacy for nuclear non-proliferation. However, his past associations and security lapses, including an affair with Jean Tatlock and his protection of Haakon Chevalier, lead to a 1954 security hearing orchestrated by Lewis Strauss. The hearing results in the revocation of his security clearance. The narrative also follows Strauss's 1959 Senate confirmation hearing, where his personal vendetta against Oppenheimer is exposed by David L. Hill. The film concludes with a 1963 flashback where Oppenheimer admits to Albert Einstein that the global catastrophe they feared is now inevitable.
- First release year
- 2023
- Runtime (minutes)
- 180
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher Nolan
- Writers
- Christopher Nolan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Cillian Murphy · J. Robert Oppenheimer; Emily Blunt · Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer; Matt Damon · Gen. Leslie Groves; Robert Downey Jr. · Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss; Florence Pugh · Jean Tatlock; Josh Hartnett · Ernest Lawrence; Casey Affleck · Boris Pash; Rami Malek · David L. Hill
- Genres
- biographical; thriller
- Themes
- scientific ethics; political fallout; nuclear proliferation
- Tone and mood
- epic; tense
- Setting
- 1930s to 1963, spanning locations including California, Los Alamos, New Mexico, and Washington D.C.
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; historical; war
- Source material / true-story basis
- American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
- Reception
- Oppenheimer received widespread critical acclaim and grossed over $983 million worldwide, becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2023.
- Production trivia
- It was the highest-grossing biographical film of all time until being overtaken by Michael in 2026.; The film's concurrent release with Warner Bros.'s Barbie was the catalyst of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon.; The cinematographer used a combination of IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large-format film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…