Christopher Nolan On Interstellar’s IMAX Re-Release Success: ‘Rewarding To See It Continues To Have A Life’ – News18

Last Updated:December 11, 2024, 14:33 IST

Christopher Nolan talked about Interstellar’s timeless appeal as it smashed IMAX records.

A decade later, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar still mesmerised audiences. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Wondering which movie created a storm in the US this weekend? It’s none other than Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, originally released in 2014. The science-fiction film, starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway, has achieved a remarkable feat upon its re-release, becoming the 10th highest-grossing IMAX film, closely trailing The Last Jedi. In an interview, the filmmaker opened up about being thrilled by the recent success of his film.

Interstellar performed impressively at the box office, with a USD 4.5 million (INR 38,19,08,250) haul from just 166 screens in the US and Canada. According to reports, its exclusive 70mm IMAX film screenings sold out rapidly, underscoring the film’s appeal, a decade after its release. “I was just so gratified by the response,” Nolan said to The Associated Press, adding, “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. It’s really rewarding to see that it continues to have a life.”

Nolan’s use of celluloid film format in Interstellar was a significant battle as digital was rapidly overtaking the industry. His commitment to the medium and the film’s success is a victory for celluloid-loving filmmakers like him. “Celluloid film was very threatened. Digital was taking over everything. We put an enormous amount of work and effort into the IMAX 70mm film format release at the time, feeling like we didn’t know how much longer we’d be able to do that,” Nolan pointed out.

Oppenheimer’s director shared that he observed many new people coming to watch Interstellar in theatres upon its re-release, highlighting the sentiment attached to it. Nolan stated, “A lot of these people were young. It was clear to me that they had seen the film at home and hadn’t had the chance to see it on the big screen.”

Nolan, on lessons to be learned from the weekend, said, “It just shows that theatrical experience that we all know and love is so powerful and so exciting. Audiences are coming out in droves for that experience that we all love so much,” he added.

During his weekend outing, Nolan went to see Wicked at a Burbank theatre. He even managed to catch an IMAX screening of his film, Interstellar. “It was pretty magical to see a full house on that film. It was a very special thing to see, 10 years later.”

For the unversed, Interstellar follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for mankind. It explores themes like limits of human control and incorporates scientific concepts such as Einstein’s equations, singularities, and the three-dimensional universe.