Christopher Nolan fans have expressed surprise after the age classification for his upcoming biopic. Oppenheimer confirmed.
Oppenheimerstarring Cillian Murphy as nuclear scientist J Robert Oppenheimer, will be rated “R” in the US, meaning anyone under the age of 17 will need to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian if want to watch movies in the cinema.
The news, confirmed by many US commercial outlets, means Oppenheimer will be Nolan’s first R-rated movie since 2002 Insomnia. His breakthrough movie, the thriller about dementia celebrate (2000) is also rated R in the US. However, his subsequent films, including 2008 dark Knight and 2011 StartAll are rated PG-13.
The R rating is roughly equivalent to “15” in the UK, although the age rating for any film varies at the discretion of each country’s rating agency. Meanwhile, PG-13 is considered more or less equivalent to “12A” in the UK.
Ratings higher than PG-13 are often said to hinder the film’s prospects at the box office. Oppenheimer is being released in cinemas on the same day as Greta Gerwig Barbie dollleading many analysts to speculate which of the two films will “win” in the battle for the No. 1 box office spot.
On social media, fans expressed surprise at the R rating information.
“Didn’t expect this. I was expecting it to receive the regular PG-13,” one person wrote.
“I’m shocked…there’s nothing in those trailers that makes the movie seem R-rated. It looks like a tense, emotional PG-13 thriller. I’m stunned,” another commented.
“Honestly, I was quite shocked because I totally thought that Nolan only made pg-13 movies (minus the moment),” another wrote.
Matt Damon in the trailer for ‘Oppenheimer’
(Universal image)
Like Murphy, Oppenheimer features a large cast that includes Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Emily Blunt, Gary Oldman, Dane DeHaan, Kenneth Branagh, Matthew Modine, Casey Affleck, Alden Ehrenreich and Jason Clarke.
The film will be about three hours long, making it Nolan’s longest project to date. The film’s latest trailer has been particularly warmly received by fans, with some claiming it has sent them “going crazy”.
Oppenheimer released in cinemas on July 21, 2023.
