There aren’t many actors or filmmakers left in Hollywood who can draw a crowd to their local theater based on nothing but their name alone, although it’s safe to say one of the most surefire methods the industry has at its disposal is “A Film by Christopher Nolan.”
The Dark Knight trilogy director has become one of the biggest directors of the modern era, and slapping his name on anything is guaranteed to cause a box office bonanza. Under most circumstance, a three-hour R-rated period piece that’s basically nothing but people talking in various rooms doesn’t sound as though it’ll become a cinematic sensation, but Oppenheimer has only gone and passed $600 million globally this weekend.
As a result, Nolan has become the first director in history to helm four original projects that aren’t sequels, remakes, reboots, or comic book adaptations that earned over $500 million worldwide, taking him above no less of a titanic trio than James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, and Roland Emmerich to place him as the undisputed ruler of successful storytelling that hasn’t been seen before. Unless you want to split hairs and say War of the Worlds isn’t a remake, even though it’s the second major movie based on the book following the 1953 original.
If you’re not in the mood for nitpicking, then Nolan reigns supreme, and he’ll only extend his lead in the future given that his IP days seem to be behind him, unless somebody comes to him with an adaptation he simply can’t refuse.