Christopher Nolan's eagerly awaited historical blockbuster Oppenheimer blows the competition away, topping the national box office on its opening weekend, Xu Fan reports.

Actor Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer delivers a speech in a scene. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

On the penultimate day of this year's bumper summer movie season, iconic director Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated movie Oppenheimer made its mainland debut, becoming the latest blockbuster to contribute to the recovery of the domestic film market.

Thanks to a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful blockbusters like Interstellar and Inception, Nolan has accumulated a lot of fans in the country.

I want to bring the audience into that room (where the facilities were installed to launch the detonation), to be there for those decisions, to witness the moment when the button was pushed.

Christopher Nolan, director

During his visit last month, marking a six-year hiatus since his 2017 tour to promote his war epic Dunkirk, eager Chinese fans flocked to the two preview screenings in Beijing and Shanghai, respectively. Despite the scorching noon heat during the Beijing event, which was partly held outside Universal CityWalk Cinema, a huge crowd greeted the director, with hundreds vying for his autograph.

As of Tuesday, the three-hour-long film has grossed more than 240 million yuan ($32.9 million), replacing the Chinese blockbuster No More Bets over the weekend as the country's latest box-office champion.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the movie skillfully intertwines multiple narrative threads to portray the life of its titular character, the famous American theoretical physicist, and explores his journey to become the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II, where he led the development of the world's first atomic bomb.

Recalling his inspiration to write the script for the movie, Nolan revealed that he is acquainted with the story of Oppenheimer, who is often referred to as "the father of the atomic bomb".

A still image from the movie Oppenheimer shows American theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his wife. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

A scene from the movie featuring Robert Downey Jr, portraying Lewis Strauss, a founding commissioner of the Atomic Energy Commission in the late 1940s. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

However, what captivated him the most was a historical moment filled with drama. Even before Oppenheimer and his team of scientists prepared to press the button, detonating the world's first nuclear explosion in July 1945, they couldn't entirely eliminate the possibility that there was a slim chance of triggering a chain reaction capable of destroying the planet.

"So, I want to bring the audience into that room (where the facilities were installed to launch the detonation), to be there for those decisions, to witness the moment when the button was pushed," he explained during an interview with Chinese journalists.

For the 53-year-old director, known for his complex storytelling, the key challenge in presenting the tale lay in striking a delicate balance between staying faithful to the historical events and ensuring audience engagement.

"I felt incredibly fortunate to have had access to such a comprehensive account of Oppenheimer's life in the book that I adapted. This book, which took 25 years of research, covers all aspects of his life and is filled with an abundance of valuable information," he said.

Director Christopher Nolan (left) receives a scroll bearing the Chinese characters for his film, Oppenheimer, during its Beijing premiere on Aug 22. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

For the young generation of Chinese theatergoers who may have limited knowledge of the history, or of the 1940s, the movie will acquaint them with some of the most influential scientists from that era. Such figures include scientific giant Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, a Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, and Edward Teller, known as "the father of the hydrogen bomb".

Contrary to the common perception that scientists are serious individuals leading strictly intellectual lives, the movie delves into a lesser-known side of these scholars. It not only depicts Oppenheimer's emotional struggles, but also anecdotes from the lives of other notable scientists, revealing a more human and multifaceted aspect to their characters.

Nolan explained that, since the movie portrays real individuals, he aimed to incorporate a certain degree of warmth and comedy into the story, allowing for a natural representation of reality.

Actress Emily Blunt (center) portrays Katherine "Kitty "Oppenheimer in the movie. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The movie, which was shot over 50 days, and marks the longest of all Nolan's films to date, involved a complete reconstruction of Los Alamos, the town in New Mexico where the Manhattan Project was conducted, within a tight schedule, despite harsh weather conditions.

Although Nolan initially considered filming on location at Los Alamos, where some structures from the Manhattan Project still stand, he discovered that the present-day location no longer accurately resembles the Los Alamos of the 1940s era. This is primarily due to the presence of modern buildings and businesses, including a branch of the ubiquitous coffee chain, Starbucks.

Therefore, the crew built exteriors resembling 1940s Los Alamos at Ghost Ranch, a sprawling 8,498-hectare retreat in northern New Mexico. Meanwhile, they filmed most of the interiors on location at Los Alamos.

Nolan shares behind-the-scenes stories during the Beijing event. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

This approach proved energizing for the cast, as it allowed Cillian Murphy, who plays the eponymous scientist, and Emily Blunt, who plays Katherine, his wife, to shoot scenes in the home where the Oppenheimers lived.

Known for his penchant for practical filmmaking, Nolan assigned his visual effects team the challenge of capturing the atomic blast using cinematic tricks and practical effects, shooting a miniature explosion instead of relying on digital technology.

"I have consistently advocated against solely relying on computer-generated imagery," Nolan says.

"Instead, I wanted to capture real-world elements that could effectively convey the beauty and danger inherent in these (scientific) concepts. It was crucial for me to showcase the scientists' struggle with the immense power they sought to control — an embodiment of the energy that binds matter together," he added.

The female characters in the movie are just as compelling as the male characters. For instance, Katherine "Kitty" Oppenheimer was a biologist and botanist who had been married three times before crossing paths with J. Robert Oppenheimer at a garden party in San Francisco. Jean Tatlock, played by actress Florence Pugh, is a Stanford-educated psychiatrist who engages in an intense, yet tortured, romance with the scientist.

The movie's Chinese poster. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Commenting on the two characters, Nolan said he believes that Katherine Oppenheimer was a complex and challenging individual, while Tatlock had a profound impact on Oppenheimer's life, becoming an intense obsession.

Speaking about why he chose Irish actor Murphy for the lead role, Nolan said that he has worked with him for around 20 years. Although Murphy hadn't played a lead in any of their previous projects, the director said he considers Murphy one of the finest actors of his generation, believing that he is capable of perfectly combining his acting talent with the demands of his role.

Currently, Oppenheimer holds an impressive score of 8.9 out of 10 on China's popular review aggregator Douban, making it one of the top-rated blockbusters of China's summer season.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn