Christopher Nolan ‘to earn staggering bonus’ as Oppenheimer to surpass $1billion in earnings

The movie was made on a budget of $100 million and could surpass $1 billion in earnings this week

Christopher Nolan is set to make a staggering bonus from the success of his Oscar-winning movie, Oppenheimer, according to reports.

The film based on the mastermind behind the atomic bomb, J Robert Oppenheimer, won seven awards at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony including Best Picture, Directing, Actor in a Leading Role (Cillian Murphy), Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Downey Jr), Cinematography, Film Editing and Original Score.

It was made on a budget of $100 million and earned $958 million worldwide after its release along with Barbie on 19 July last year.

The win marked Oppenheimer as the highest-grossing Best Picture winner since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Following its Oscars success, the movie is being rereleased in 1,000 cinemas with projections that it will go on to break the $1billion threshold.

According to Variety, that means that Nolan is expected to make more than $100 million from the movie’s success.

The figure is calculated by using a combination of “salary, backend compensation, box-office escalators and a bonus for this twin Academy Awards.”

The director’s deal for Oppenheimer was negotiated by his longtime agent Dan Aloni at WME at attorney Michael Schenkman.

The Independent have contacted Mr Aloni for comment.

Nolan’s Oscar win marks his first as a director despite garnering critical claim throughout his career. He had been nominated for directing movies Dunkirk in 2017, for the original screenplay for Inception in 2010 and for Memento in 2001.

Besides directing, Nolan earned nominations for adapted screenplay and best picture for Oppenheimer, the three-hour, ambitious, R-rated epic about the American physicist who developed the atomic bomb. The film earned a leading 13 nominations and has earned nearly $1 billion worldwide which it is expected to surpass this week.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier this Nolan welcomed a tax relief for those making independent movies, after chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the Government will provide eligible film studios in England with 40% relief on their gross business rates until 2034.

Nolan and his wife Emma Thomas, who was a producer on the blockbuster, said in a joint statement: “Independent and lower-budget filmmaking is where we had our start and where new voices and innovations vital to the entire industry are born.

“This enhanced tax relief builds on the incredible work already being done by British filmmakers and will create new opportunities for British crews, filmmakers and cast members for years to come.”