Christopher Nolan Says Movie Business Needs Blockbusters To Help Pay For Other Movies

Christopher Nolan has commented on the state of moviemaking and the film business, observing that Hollywood succeeds when it produces both blockbuster sequels and smaller-scale projects at the same time. He spoke to the Associated Press about the balance in Hollywood.

"There is always a balance in Hollywood between established titles that can ensure a return and give people more of what they want. That's always been a big part of the economics of Hollywood," Nolan said. "And [that model] pays for a lot of other types of films to be made and distributed."

"There always has to be a respect for the audience's desire for something new. That's one of the big thrills of going to the movies, frankly; seeing a trailer for a movie you've never heard of or a type of movie you haven't seen or haven't seen in a long time," he added. "Something new. Something fresh. So a healthy ecosystem in Hollywood is about a balance between the two things, and always has been."

Nolan has been making movies for decades. His early career was marked with lower-budget films like Memento, Insomnia, and The Prestige, before he gained a new level of fame (and budget) with his Batman trilogy, and later films like Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and Oppenheimer most recently. Oppenheimer is Nolan's most commercially successful non-Batman movie of all time.

Oppenheimer made more than $950 million globally at the box office during its theatrical run and is now making even more money with its home video release. The movie is available now to buy for $20 at a variety of digital stores, but the movie is not yet available for streaming anywhere. Given it was distributed by Universal, it's expected Oppenheimer will stream on Peacock first at some point.

Nolan is planning to make more movies, but we don't know what he's planning to direct next. It won't be the next James Bond movie, however, as Nolan already ruled that out.