Dunkirk makes the record books!

Just prior to the release of Dunkirk, I wrote a piece about managing expectations for the box office. In short, I argued that although Christopher Nolan knocks out +$600M hits like clockwork, he had a particular challenge presenting a WWII film. The ceiling for those films — even the hits — is about $400M. Even though we expect him to bust records, we shouldn’t pillory him if he doesn’t.
Well, we needn’t have wrung our hands. Dunkirk is officially over the hump! With $412M worldwide, Dunkirk is officially the third biggest movie of all time in the WWII subgenre (not adjusted for inflation). If it’s lucky (and gets an Academy Awards re-release) it could clear the $449M gross of Pearl Harbor to be number two.
Dunkirk is also four times the reported $100M production budget. Add in the rave reviews, early Oscar buzz, and strong legs, and there is no universe that anyone could argue Dunkirk is a failure.
No, it won’t make it to $600M . But who cares. Setting aside the money, the real value of Dunkirk lies elsewhere. It upholds, if not elevates, the “Christopher Nolan” brand.
Christopher Nolan is known for big budget, semi-intellectual spectacle that pleases audiences and most critics. Interstellar lost a few points for Nolan in the critical establishment. Personally, I felt like on the sci-fi epic his style slipped from a strong voice into the realm of stagnation and self-parody.
Luckily, Dunkirk isn’t just a profitable movie, but a good one. The 93% Rotten Tomatoes score (8.7 avg. rating) and 94% Metacritic score are among the best of the year for any film, let alone a blockbuster. In addition, Dunkirk promised to be a 70MM Imax sensation and it was. Nolan carps about the magic of film all the time and he delivered.
Ultimately, filmmakers, moviegoers, and critics alike should be relieved that Dunkirk, an original film, is such a hit. There are few filmmakers with enough clout to execute their unique vision at huge budgets. I doubt we will see another filmmaker with the same clout as Nolan for years. But every time he validates original movies with a success, it increases the chances we’ll get another voice at that level.
Once Ryan Coogler (Black Panther), Rian Johnson (Star Wars Episode VIII), Ava Duvernay (A Wrinkle in Time) and other talented filmmakers “pay their dues” by helming blockbusters, let’s see if they can fund their own original flicks. If Nolan can do it, let’s hope anyone else can.

