For the week that ended on November 25th, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Oppenheimer (2023) took the top spot on the both the Blu-ray-only and overall packaged media charts. Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer (2005), Oppenheimer began production in 2021 at Universal Pictures, who won a bidding war for Nolan’s screenplay, after he parted ways with Warner Bros. following the pandemic-impacted release of his previous film Tenet in 2020. However, Oppenheimer still displays the director’s characteristic traits, notably the use of celluloid film, especially large formats like 65mm and IMAX film, the latter of which was used not just in color sequences, but in black-and-white footage, too. To that end, Oppenheimer also became the first feature since Tenet to receive a release on massive IMAX 70mm film prints, in engagements that only played at about 30 cinemas worldwide and necessitated the installation of specialized projection equipment to handle the IMAX film stock. In addition to its IMAX 70mm run, Oppenheimer also saw releases on both standard 70mm and 35mm film prints for theaters which still had the capability to project film. As Nolan is a major proponent of the theatrical experience, Oppenheimer also enjoyed an extended run in cinemas, grossing some $950 million worldwide and receiving widespread critical acclaim. For its home video release, Oppenheimer received over three hours of extras on a dedicated Blu-ray bonus disc, and demand for the three-disc 4K UHD editions, which were also sold as retailer exclusiives like a Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook and a Walmart Exclusive Icon Edition Digipack, was so great that retailers sold out and Universal had to address the issue publicly, stating: “We are happy so many consumers are embracing Oppenheimer in 4K Ultra HD and understand that some retailers may currently be out of stock…Universal is working to replenish those retailers quickly so fans can watch the film at home in the best picture quality possible.” Nevertheless, this week, Oppenheimer had an HD share of 74% and 36% of units sold from the 4K UHD format…
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