Christopher Nolan Reacts To Lucrative ‘Interstellar’ IMAX Re-Release

Christopher Nolan’s 2014 sci-fi epic Interstellar was re-released exclusively on IMAX screens last weekend, and it grossed $4.5 million across 166 screens. Additionally, all 10 of its IMAX 70mm screenings were sold out nationwide. This makes Interstellar the biggest success in that format for 2024.

Christopher Nolan himself had some words on the success of the film. In an interview with Associated Press, he said, “I was just so gratified by the response. It’s really thrilling when people respond to your work at any point. But 10 years later, to have new audiences coming and experiencing it in the way that we’d originally intended it on the big IMAX screens and in particular on those IMAX film prints? It’s really rewarding to see that it continues to have a life.”

The director has always had a passion for making films that thrive inside a movie theater, especially in premium formats such as IMAX. The IMAX formatting has been highlighted as the ideal experience for his films for a while now, with his latest film, Oppenheimer, being filmed entirely on IMAX film cameras.

He went on to say, “It just shows our industry once again that audiences truly understand the difference between a communal, big screen theatrical experience that they crave even on films that they’ve had the opportunities to see in the home. That theatrical experience that we all know and love is so powerful and so exciting. It’s a very clear demonstration of it, especially coming amidst all the great successes right now, “Wicked,” “Gladiator II,” “Moana 2.””

Upon initial release back in 2014, Interstellar grossed $681 million worldwide, a notable profit. The film received mostly positive reviews, rocking a cool 73% on Rotten Tomatoes. This re-release shows that Interstellar remains popular and has seemingly only increased in favor over the years. And while movie theaters have been declining in popularity for years, moments like this prove that there is still an audience for seeing a film on the silver screen should the right occasion arise.