Christopher Nolan is known for big, epic movies with complicated stories that get rave reviews, and Oppenheimer continues that trend on Rotten Tomatoes. Every single movie Nolan has ever directed earned a “Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, so Oppenheimer’s success may not come as a huge surprise, but its review scores still manage to exceed his career averages.
Nolan got his start with low-budget crime thrillers Following and Memento, the latter of which became a cult hit, earning him the reigns of Batman for The Dark Knight trilogy with Christian Bale, forever changing people’s conceptions of what comic book movies could be. While Nolan moved away from Batman and the comic book genre permanently, his movies are still big hits at the box office, scoring well with critics and audiences alike.
Oppenheimer is Tied For Christopher Nolan’s 3rd Best Rotten Tomatoes Score
The positive reviews for Oppenheimer continue Nolan’s perfect streak on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a 92 percent critic score, a perfect tie with Insomnia and Dunkirk for Nolan’s third-best movie, behind Memento (93 percent) and The Dark Knight (94 percent). It beats Nolan’s 85 percent average score by seven points. Oppenheimer’s 92 percent beats out seven other movies in his filmography including Inception (87 percent), The Dark Knight Rises (87 percent), Batman Begins (84 percent), Following (83 percent), Interstellar (73 percent), and Tenet (69 percent). Despite only tying for third, Oppenheimer’s average review score of 8.8 out of 10 is the best of any Nolan movie on Rotten Tomatoes.
Oppenheimer Has Christopher Nolan’s Best Rotten Tomatoes Top Critic Score
Despite his 85 percent average Rotten Tomatoes score from all critics, Rotten Tomatoes’ specially selected “Top Critics” usually rank Nolan’s movies a bit lower, with a six-point lower Top Critic average of 79 percent, but Oppenheimer breaks that trend, earning a 95 percent Top Critic score – Nolan’s career best. Oppenheimer’s Top Critic score only beats second-place Insomnia (94 percent) by one point, but comes four points higher than third-place Dunkirk’s 91 percent Top Critic score. The remainder of Christopher Nolan’s filmography falls between 88 percent and 63 percent, again earning Fresh scores across the board.
Nolan’s perfect record in Rotten Tomatoes and 85 percent average score set a high bar, but Oppenheimer’s 92 percent successfully rises above the average while his Top Critic score also sets a new record for his filmography. Nolan’s movies are always big blockbusters and major awards contenders, and the high Top Critic score especially suggests the critical acclaim could translate into even more success. Of course, Nolan’s movies are usually big box office hits, and while Oppenheimer isn’t expected to smash any records in its opening week, its Rotten Tomatoes scores suggest it could still find some long-term success in the coming weeks.