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Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer

The world forever changes.

2023180 minRMidcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Director
Christopher Nolan
Starring
Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr.

The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Oppenheimer?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Oppenheimer streaming on Peacock and to rent or buy on Prime Video.

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Highlights

What stands out about Oppenheimer?

Oppenheimer earns 11 badges, led by Top 1% of films and Universally Loved.

Show 3 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Oppenheimer worth watching?

Oppenheimer's Midcredits score is the 99th percentile of all films, from 5.7M ratings across 6 sources. 91% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

99th percentile

Better received than 99% of films

99th percentile among Biography99th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)98th
Approval (how many liked it)98th

83 /100

98th percentile of all films

99th percentile among Biography97th percentile among 2020s

Critics 90 · Audience 83

Critics liked it more than audiences did.

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

91% liked it

98th percentile of all films

98th percentile among Biography97th percentile among 2020s
91% rated it 7–109% rated it 1–6

Critics 93% · Audience 91%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 52 wins / 47 noms overall

  • WonGolden Globes· Best Director - Motion Picture
  • WonGolden Globes· Best Motion Picture - Drama

85th percentile

5.7M ratings across platforms

68th percentile among Biography86th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 6% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$100M
Opening weekend$82M
Domestic gross$330M
Worldwide gross$976M

Returned 9.8× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

Both camps agree the film is a technically polished, ambitious biography with strong performances and a non-linear structure that demands attention—but they split on whether its density and political focus are strengths or flaws.

Fans praised

  • Cillian Murphy's career-best, Oscar-worthy performance as Oppenheimer
  • Intense, urgent pacing that makes 3 hours fly by
  • Stunning practical effects and cinematography—especially the Trinity test sequence

Detractors panned

  • Overlong, exhausting runtime padded by tedious courtroom drama
  • Convoluted non-linear editing that leaves viewers confused and distanced
  • Loud, intrusive score and sound design that drowns out dialogue

What stands out

Acting95

Murphy's transformative lead performance universally praised; RDJ and Blunt also singled out

Cinematography90

Stark, intimate IMAX imagery and striking color/black-and-white contrasts

TensionDivisive75

Trinity test and political hearings build genuine suspense, though some scenes drag

Dialogue72

Sharp, information-packed but sometimes too dense and hard to follow

Sound and musicDivisive70

Göransson's score amplifies tension; detractors call it overbearing and muddled

Plot and storyDivisive60

Split between riveting Manhattan Project core and overly drawn-out political hearings

CharactersDivisive55

Oppenheimer's inner life well-drawn, but supporting roles often feel flat or rushed

PacingDivisive45

Relentless, exhausting rhythm with a bloated third act

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 3 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s 3 points apart
  • Critics vs users even
  • US vs non-US even

Watch experience

What is Oppenheimer like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Dark and unsettling: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready to pay close attention and feel heavy feelings, and you want something dark that stays with you.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night or you can only half-watch.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Your full attention and room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Dark and unsettling.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseDread
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Nonlinear · 6% of films: Events shown out of chronological order.Multiple perspectives · 2% of films: The same events retold from different characters' points of view.
ToneNolan treats Oppenheimer's story with grave seriousness, never undercutting the moral weight; the film is psychologically intense and historically reverent.
The rideThe film maintains a constant, mounting tension from the scientific race to the political interrogation, with a pervasive sense of dread over the bomb's implications.
StructureNolan fragments time, intercutting Oppenheimer's past with the 1954 hearing and later events, shifting focus between Oppie and Strauss.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

The answer rests on this: Thought-provokingDevastating · 3% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film lingers on the moral weight of the atomic age and the personal destruction of a genius; it provokes discussion about responsibility and power.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet endingTwist

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Tragedy
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9% (this title): Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3% (this title)
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Tragedy: A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin. · Crushed by fate: Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.

9% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeOppenheimer's story follows a tragic arc: the brilliant physicist who creates world-changing technology is destroyed by political forces and his own conscience.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfPower
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7% (this title): Power 2% (this title) · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Power

Power · 2% of films
Interrogates its theme: Questions its theme without settling the answer.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on the intoxicating and destructive nature of power — both the power to create the bomb and the political power that destroys Oppenheimer — intertwining responsibility and moral compromise.
StanceThe film interrogates the meaning of power and responsibility, refusing to celebrate or condemn Oppenheimer outright, instead holding his choices and the system around him up for examination.

The world

Mid 20th centuryInstitutionalUrbanRealistic
Orchestral modernForeground music · original score · Ludwig Göransson
Settingthe Manhattan Project at Los Alamos and the 1954 AEC security hearing in Washington, D.C.
MusicThe score uses tense, minimalistic strings and pulsing electronics to heighten anxiety and introspection.

Content guide

Is Oppenheimer okay for kids?

R

Oppenheimer is rated R: “Rated R for some sexuality, nudity and language” (MPAA). As of October 5, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (38/100), sexual content at intense (73/100), language at moderate (51/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (43/100) and frightening material at intense (76/100). Overall it is heavier than 45% of R-rated films.

Ratings in 44 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada14A
  • AustraliaMA 15+
  • Germany12
  • FranceTP
  • Ireland15A
  • New ZealandM
  • JapanR15+
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil16
  • Argentina+13
  • Belgium16
  • BGC
  • Czechia15+
  • Denmark11
  • FinlandK-12
  • GreeceK12
  • Hong KongIIB
  • Hungary16
  • ID13+
  • IndiaUA
  • Israel14
  • Italy6+
  • LTN-16
  • MexicoB-15
  • MOC
  • Netherlands12
  • Norway12
  • PhilippinesR-16
  • Poland12
  • PortugalM/14
  • PRR
  • RO12
  • SingaporeM18
  • SK15
  • South Africa16
  • Spain12
  • Sweden11
  • Switzerland12
  • Taiwan15+
  • TH15
  • Türkiye13+
  • UA16+
  • VIR
Overall
Intense · all five categories
Heavier than 67% of all filmsHeavier than 45% of R-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 18%
Sex & Nudity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for an R-rated film
heavier than 91%
Profanity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
light for an R-rated film
heavier than 23%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 56%
Frightening / Intense
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 73%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is frightening material and sexual content. Everything else sits at or below what R-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Oppenheimer have?

MovieCove's classifier found 6 depicted content warnings in Oppenheimer: War atrocities (severe), Gore or body horror (moderate), Addiction or relapse (mild), plus 3 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

SevereWar atrocities
ModerateGore or body horror
MildAddiction or relapse

Cast and crew

Who is in Oppenheimer?

Cast

9 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Cillian Murphy
as J. Robert Oppenheimer
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Emily Blunt
as Kitty Oppenheimer
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Matt Damon
as Leslie Groves
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Robert Downey Jr.
as Lewis Strauss
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Florence Pugh
as Jean Tatlock
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Josh Hartnett
as Ernest Lawrence
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Casey Affleck
as Boris Pash
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Rami Malek
as David Hill
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Kenneth Branagh
as Niels Bohr
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Benny Safdie
as Edward Teller
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Oppenheimer?

Movies like Oppenheimer include The Alamo (2004), Attack (1956) and Maestro (2023). Of the 12 closest matches, several are films set during World War II, and most are period dramas.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

4 of these 12 share its character type: husband-wife relationship. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Oppenheimer?

413 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: politician. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.