These Are The Highest-Grossing Christopher Nolan Movies

Quick Links

• The Prestige (2006)

• Insomnia (2002)

• Batman Begins (2005)

• Tenet (2020)

• Dunkirk (2017)

• Interstellar (2014)

• Inception (2010)

• Oppenheimer (2023)

• The Dark Knight (2008)

• The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Highlights

• Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film is Oppenheimer , earning over $952 million worldwide.
• Dunkirk and Interstellar are also among Nolan's top-grossing films, earning over $530 million and $731 million respectively.
• Inception grossed $839 million globally and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2010.

There are storytellers, and then there are movie directors; British-American auteur and filmmaker Christopher Nolan stands in a gray area between the two.

Renowned for his ability to seamlessly merge intellectual depth with blockbuster appeal, Nolan has carved a distinct niche in the industry. His films explode across the screen, transporting audiences to alternate realities.

From Batman's brooding Gotham to the interstellar wormholes of Interstellar, Nolan's works have grossed over $6 billion worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Nolan gained global recognition with Memento, which earned him an Academy Award nomination.

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Nolan found further critical and commercial success with The Dark Knight trilogy and The Prestige.

He was in the news quite a bit in January; initially due to a viral incident between Nolan and a Peloton instructor, and later, after he won a Golden Globe in the category of "Best Director," for Oppenheimer:

Unsurprisingly, ten of Nolan's films have not only breached nine-figures in their worldwide grosses but, impressively, two have soared beyond the billion-dollar milestone.

Let's take a look at the highest-grossing Christopher Nolan films.

10 The Prestige (2006)

Global Box Office, The Prestige: $109,676,311

Hot off the heels of reviving Batman for the big screen in 2005's Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan scaled back for a mind-bending trip into the world of magic in 2006's The Prestige.

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale square off as dueling magicians, pushing the boundaries of illusion and reality in a desperate game of one-upmanship that culminates in a jaw-dropping twist on par with the best of them.

While not quite catching the box office fire of Batman, The Prestige earned $109.7 million against a $40 million budget.

According to Box Office Mojo, the domestic box office contributed over 48 percent ($53 million) of the film's total, while the international market conjured up another $56.7 million.

9 Insomnia (2002)

Global Box Office, Insomnia: $113,758,770

In 2002, Nolan honed his cinematic craft with the haunting neo-noir thriller Insomnia.

In this atmospheric remake of a Norwegian film, Al Pacino and Robin Williams lock horns as sleep-deprived detectives investigating a murder in a sun-drenched Alaskan town.

Pacino delivers a masterclass in simmering frustration, while Williams sheds his comedic persona to create a chillingly unpredictable suspect.

Though often overshadowed by Nolan's later blockbusters, Insomnia highlighted his early promise, earning $67 million from the local box office and $46 million from the other regions, bringing the film's global total to $113.8 million.

8 Batman Begins (2005)

Global Box Office, Batman Begins: $375,298,946

Christopher Nolan's 2005 Batman Begins was a gritty reboot that helped resurrect the superhero genre at the cinema.

The film kicked off Christopher Nolan's acclaimed Dark Knight Trilogy. It was credited for revitalizing the Batman character in popular culture. Christian Bale wasn't just playing Batman; he was a wounded Bruce Wayne, driven by vengeance and shadowed by tragedy.

This Gotham wasn't neon and cardboard; it was a grimy underbelly crawling with corruption, where every punch sounded real, and every shadow hid a threat.

Although Batman Begins did not match the sequels in terms of earnings, it set the groundwork for their box office success.

Batman Begins grossed $205 million in North America and had a total of $375 million worldwide against a $150 million budget.

7 Tenet (2020)

Global Box Office, Tenet: $365,304,105

Time's not what it seems in Christopher Nolan's 2020 mind-bender, Tenet. John David Washington dives into a world of temporal trickery as the Protagonist, tasked with preventing a global catastrophe – by reversing the flow of time.

Forget linear narratives; Tenet folds and unfolds like a Möbius strip, with bullets rewinding, buildings un-exploding, and characters battling entropy head-on:

It's Nolan at his most audacious, pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling and narrative complexity. While the pandemic dampened its box office potential, Tenet grossed $58.5 million locally and $306.8 million in other territories for a total of $365 million worldwide.

With a production budget of $200 million, Tenet is Nolan's most expensive original project. It is also one of Nolan's most rewarding projects, as Deadline Hollywood reported that he received twenty percent of the film's first-dollar gross.

6 Dunkirk (2017)

Global Box Office, Dunkirk: $530,380,130

Christopher Nolan took audiences straight into the heart of World War II's chaotic Dunkirk evacuation.

No soaring speeches, no clear-cut heroes – just the desperate scramble of 400,000 Allied soldiers trapped on French beaches, hunted by the Luftwaffe and the unforgiving sea.

Dunkirk received praise for its screenplay, direction, editing, musical score, sound design, and cinematography; some critics called it Nolan's best work.

The film's box office revenue resonated with its critical acclaim. Dunkirk grossed over $189 million domestically and $341 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $530 million, against a production budget of $100 million.

Dunkirk became the highest-grossing World War II film at the time until it was surpassed by Nolan's own Oppenheimer in 2023.

5 Interstellar (2014)

Global Box Office, Interstellar: $731,079,637

Christopher Nolan's 2014 Interstellar boldly blasted audiences on a mind-bending odyssey through the cosmos.

Matthew McConaughey left Earth's dying blight behind, searching for a new home for humanity through wormholes and across time-bending dimensions.

Nolan, true to his style, grounded even this fantastical sci-fi story in real science, collaborating with astrophysicists for stunning visuals and mind-blowing concepts like black holes and tesseracts.

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Audiences embraced Nolan's audacious vision, propelling the film to a stellar $188 million domestic haul and $543 million internationally, for a global total of $731 million, against a production budget of $165 million.

Deadline Hollywood reported that Interstellar made over $47 million in net profit, making it one of 2014's most valuable blockbusters.

4 Inception (2010)

Global Box Office, Inception: $839,030,630

In 2010's Inception, Christopher Nolan crafted a heist film like no other.

Leonardo DiCaprio leads a team of thieves who don't steal jewels or cash, but ideas – by plunging into the perilous subconscious. Nolan pulled out all the stops, crafting a labyrinthine plot that folds dream within dream, bending reality like origami.

Nolan even built a rotating hotel set to simulate the feeling of zero gravity in zero-budget CGI. The $160 million gamble paid off, and Inception became a global phenomenon.

The film grossed $293 million in the United States and Canada and $546 million in other regions for a total of $823 million worldwide, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2010.

3 Oppenheimer (2023)

Global Box Office, Oppenheimer: $952,039,355

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer delved into the chilling depths of scientific ambition and the birth of the atomic bomb:

Cillian Murphy delivers a tour-de-force performance as the titular theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, capturing his brilliance, hubris, and agonizing internal conflict.

Murphy is joined by a stellar supporting cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, each delivering layered performances that enrich the film.

In this project, Nolan employed practical effects and innovative camerawork to capture the visceral power of nuclear explosions, immersing us in the ethical dilemmas surrounding the Manhattan Project.

Oppenheimer earned over $326 million domestically and $626 million internationally, for a global total of $952 million.

These box office numbers made Oppenheimer the third-highest-grossing film of 2023, the highest-grossing World War II-related film, and the highest-grossing biographical film.

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2 The Dark Knight (2008)

Global Box Office, The Dark Knight: $1,029,266,147

A sequel to Batman Begins, The Dark Knight stands as the pinnacle of The Dark Knight trilogy and as a superhero masterpiece.

Christian Bale donned the cape and cowl as a tormented Bruce Wayne, wrestling with rage and haunted by loss. Then came Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning performance as the Joker – a chaotic force of anarchy that redefined villains on screen.

His unpredictable smile and chillingly playful menace sent shivers down spines and stole the show.

On January 7th, Nolan spoke of the late Heath Ledger as he accepted a Golden Globe for "Best Director," recalling his initial grief, and saying in part:

"The only time I've ever been on this stage before was accepting one of these on behalf of our dear friend, [the late] Heath Ledger, and that was complicated and challenging for me ... And in the middle of speaking, I looked down at Robert Downey Jr., [who had] caught my eye and [he] gave me a look of support. The same look [he's] giving me now — the same love and support he showed so many people in your community over the years ..."

The Dark Knight is considered the blueprint for many modern superhero films.

Audiences devoured The Dark Knight, helping it to a near-unimaginable $535 million at the local box office and $494 million from other regions, for a worldwide total of $1.03 billion on the back of a $185 million budget.

It was the first superhero film to gross over $1 billion and the fourth film to earn over $1 billion.

1 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Global Box Office, The Dark Knight Rises - $1,114,085,030

Christopher Nolan's box office crown jewel, The Dark Knight Rises, is the epic culmination of his Dark Knight trilogy.

While it may not quite have reached the fever pitch of its predecessor, it was more successful with respect to the box office. Nolan pulled out all the stops for this finale.

IMAX sequences soar over a decaying Gotham, incredible stunts redefine superhero action, and Hans Zimmer's score reaches operatic heights. The film grapples with themes of legacy, sacrifice, and the enduring power of hope, delivering a satisfying payoff for trilogy-long character arcs.

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The Dark Knight Rises earned $448.1 million in North America and $632.9 million in other countries, summing up to a worldwide total of $1.081 billion.

In addition to being Christopher Nolan's highest-grossing film, it is also the second film in the Batman film series to earn $1 billion and the highest-grossing Batman film to date.

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