Christopher Nolan Watched Steven Spielberg Watching Oppenheimer

Whatever you think of the man's films, there's no denying Christopher Nolan is one of the most respected and successful directors working today. Just take a look at "Oppenheimer," which has become nothing short of a phenomenon since it arrived in 2023. Not only did the film make almost a billion dollars to become one of the biggest hits of last year, it opened the door to what Nolan himself termed a "post-franchise world." That's a fair statement considering "Oppenheimer" became a smash hit simply by presenting three hours of scientists and politicians talking in hushed tones about the potential annihilation of the human race.

All of that success followed a shaky debut for Nolan's previous film, "Tenet," which was given a release by Warner Bros. during the height of the global pandemic. That resulted in a $360 million box office take which was still impressive for a movie released while the world was on lockdown. Still, a lot of people, including Quentin Tarantino, were confused by "Tenet" making for an unusual blot on Nolan's otherwise impressive track record.

With its massive success and 13 Oscar noms, however, "Oppenheimer" has restored balance to the universe, confirming that Nolan not only remains a solid box office bet but one of the most respected and influential directors working today. But even he can't yet claim to command as much respect as the man who has consistently delivered classic after classic for the better part of 50 years. The British filmmaker recently revealed he was given the opportunity to screen his biopic for Steven Spielberg prior to release, and had to be at least slightly nervous — especially since he insisted on watching Spielberg as he took in "Oppenheimer."

Christopher Nolan had a falling out with Warner Bros. during the release of "Tenet" and went on to make "Oppenheimer" at Universal. Now, however, it seems Nolan and his erstwhile studio have patched things up with the news that "Tenet" is returning to theaters for one week starting on Friday, February 23, 2024 — complete with screenings of new footage from Denis Villeneuve's upcoming sequel "Dune: Part 2." This marks a unique team-up between longtime friends Nolan and Villeneuve, who spoke to the AP last week following a screening of the "Tenet" re-release.

It was during this conversation that Nolan revealed that he'd not only screened a 70mm print of "Oppenheimer" for Steven Spielberg prior to the film's release, but that he'd been present throughout to witness the legendary filmmaker's reaction. As the director explained:

"[Spielberg] had called me about something else and I had just got the print as well and I hadn't shown it to anyone. I mean, the studio had seen it. But we screened it for him on his own. I sat behind him and watched him watch the film. It was an extraordinary experience."

According to Nolan, Spielberg had nothing but "very kind things" to say after seeing the film, which Villeneuve seemed to confirm by revealing that the director told him he "absolutely adored" "Oppenheimer." As to why Nolan would put himself through the torture of literally watching Spielberg watch his movie, he simply said, "I wasn't even supposed to watch it with him, but seeing the great master watching? It was sort of irresistible."