Christopher Nolan says Oppenheimer is the most successful film of his career

In a conversation with Empire magazine, Nolan shared his optimism about the future of cinema after a year of megahits, including "Oppenheimer," which he called the "most successful" film of his career. The biopic thriller about Robert Oppenheimer is also Nolan's first R-rated film in 20 years and the longest film in his catalog.

"I just made a three-hour movie about Robert Oppenheimer that's rated R and half black and white - and it made a billion dollars. Of course, I think the movies are doing great," he said. "The funny thing is, it's literally the most successful movie I've ever made."

He continued, "I've been doing this for 20 years, and in the UK it's my highest grossing film. So I feel great about the state of the film business based on my own experience. But also based on seeing how other films are breaking through and how audiences are coming back."

Nolan told the publication that he experienced some audience reactions firsthand when he and his wife, Emma Thomas, who is a producer, snuck into a few public screenings of his latest blockbuster over the summer. He said it was a "remarkable experience" and "quite depressing" to see the scenes play out in front of a packed house.

"The audience's desire to be surprised, to see something new, to see something they didn't know they wanted, that's always been the most powerful force in theatrical filmmaking," Nolan said of the cinema experience. "So it was great to see that this year."/BGNES