All 12 Christopher Nolan Movies Have Grossed a Mind-Numbing Amount of Money at the Box Office

Christopher Nolan. The name alone sends shivers down the spine of movie buffs. From perplexing plots to flabbergasting visuals, Nolan’s flicks set the bar for storytelling.

His blend of gripping plots and deep themes? Unmatched. And those box office numbers? A staggering $6 billion. Yeah, the success speaks for itself.

We have seen that 2023 was a golden year for him. Oppenheimer, the historical thriller about the creation of the atomic bomb, shattered records and became a cultural moment. But did you know it’s only his third highest-grossing Nolan film? That’s the magic of the British filmmaker.

He weaves mind-bending tales that dive deep into life’s big questions—yet somehow, everyone still shows up. Hard to believe, but Nolan pulls it off every time.

Chris got a way of doing things that no one else can match. Come along for a tempest ride through his films, from his early thrillers to global blockbusters like The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, and Oppenheimer.

1 Following (1998)

Christopher Nolan‘s journey began with Following, a noir thriller made for peanuts. Budget? A mere $6,000. Global gross? Around $126,052. Not exactly an earth-shattering box office hit, but it was a sign of brilliant things to come for Nolan.

Shot in gritty black-and-white 16mm, it’s a nonlinear tale of a man who stalks strangers. He gets tangled up in a criminal’s web—making it one twisty little ride. It’s raw, unpolished, but oh-so-Nolan.

The film laid the groundwork for Nolan’s love affair with non-linear narratives. And though it didn’t exactly break the bank, it proved one thing: he was destined for mighty feats. While the film is more of a cult classic than a box office legend, the film showed the world that this filmmaker wasn’t here for clichés.

Watch Following on Apple TV!

2 Memento (2000)

With Memento, Nolan took a huge step forward. Starring Guy Pearce, it was Nolan’s first big win, grossing $40 million on a $9 million budget (per Box Office Mojo). What made it click? That reverse storytelling.

It had viewers hooked, piecing together the plot, with every scene unfolding backward to mirror the protagonist’s short-term memory loss. Memento became a buzzworthy hit.

Critics loved its complexity, while audiences enjoyed the layered storytelling (see Rotten Tomatoes). The film’s success cemented Nolan’s rep as a director willing to push boundaries.

Watch Memento on Apple TV!

3 Insomnia (2002)

In 2002, Nolan made his move into mainstream territory with Insomnia, a psychological thriller starring Al Pacino and Robin Williams. A remake of a Norwegian film of the same name, Nolan’s touch added extra tension.

Set in the hauntingly bright Alaskan summer, Insomnia is a slow-burn thriller about a detective battling guilt, insomnia, and a crafty killer. It’s a shift from Nolan’s usual mind-bending plots, but still filled with his signature tension.

The performances alone make this worth watching, but it’s the slow untangling of Pacino’s character that’ll really get to you. Though it’s not as beloved as his other films, the director himself considers Insomnia a personal favorite.

Christopher Nolan thinks Insomnia is his most underrated film :

“I’m very proud of the film. I think, of all my films, it’s probably the most underrated. […] The reality is it’s one of my most personal films in terms of what it was to make it. It was a very vivid time in my… pic.twitter.com/m15hsfU9KG

— Christopher Nolan Art & Updates (@NolanAnalyst) April 17, 2023

As reported by Box Office Mojo, the film earned around $113 million globally on a $46 million budget. While not as iconic as some of his later works, it was still a solid box office hit.

Watch Insomnia on Apple TV!

4 Batman Begins (2005)

In 2005, Nolan gave the Batman franchise a fresh start with Batman Begins. After the flop that was Batman & Robin, fans were unsure about another reboot—but Nolan nailed it.

With a grounded, realistic take on Gotham’s hero, the film made $373 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, proving a huge hit (per Box Office Mojo). Gone were the neon colors and ice-themed villains from the ‘90s.

Nolan brought us a gritty, grounded version of Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale), exploring his origins and motivations in a way that had never been done before. Batman Begins set the tone for not just a trilogy but a whole new era of superhero films. It also gave birth to a lasting cinematic universe.

Watch Batman Begins on Netflix!

5 The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is what happens when you take two actors—Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale—and pit them against each other in a battle of wits. With a $40 million budget, the film grossed around $109 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

What made The Prestige a standout was its combination of mystery, obsession, and deception. Nolan cranks up the suspense with this entwined tale of dueling magicians trying to one-up each other.

The film blurs the lines between reality and illusion, just like the tricks at its core. The film’s nonlinear narrative and stunning reveals make it a cascade of a movie. At the heart of it all, though, is the destructive nature of rivalry.

Watch The Prestige on Amazon Prime Video!

6 The Dark Knight (2008)

Here it is, the movie that cemented Nolan as a cinematic powerhouse: The Dark Knight. Yes, If Batman Begins was the foundation, The Dark Knight was the skyscraper. With a budget of $185 million, it earned over $1 billion worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

This time, Batman faces the Joker, a villain who redefines chaos. What made this film such a revolutionary shift? Heath Ledger’s unforgettable portrayal of the Joker, which earned him a posthumous Oscar. The film’s exploration of morality, justice, and chaos was nothing short of groundbreaking.

The action, the characters, the philosophical questions—it all came together in one near-perfect package. With The Dark Knight, Nolan pushed superhero cinema to new heights, crafting a morally complex world that felt raw and grounded.

Watch The Dark Knight on Amazon Prime Video!

7 Inception (2010)

Inception is the movie that made everyone question reality. The concept of a heist within dreams, where ideas are stolen and planted, was a unique and ambitious one. With a $160 million budget, Inception earned about $828 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo).

Nolan once again pushed the boundaries of storytelling, crafting a though-warping epic about dream thieves and subconscious manipulation. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a man who steals secrets by entering people’s dreams.

But the thing is, he’s tasked with planting an idea, a process known as inception. The dreamscapes are spectacular, the action is pulse-pounding, and the ending? Well, that’s still up for debate.

Watch Inception on Netflix!

8 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

After the highs of The Dark Knight, Nolan wrapped up his trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. With a budget of $250 million, the film grossed over $1 billion globally (per Box Office Mojo).

This was a fitting conclusion to the trilogy, bringing back Bruce Wayne in a battle against the merciless Bane, played by Tom Hardy. While some critics thought it didn’t top its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises was still a major hit.

Watch The Dark Knight Rises on Netflix!

9 Interstellar (2014)

With Interstellar, Nolan took us to space. With a budget of $165 million, it earned around $740 million globally (per Box Office Mojo). The film follows a group of astronauts, led by Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), as they travel through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity.

With this cinematic work, Nolan gave us his take on a sci-fi epic, channeling the greats like Kubrick and Tarkovsky. It’s filled with mind-blowing visuals—dust storms, oceans on other planets, and massive space colonies.

Time-bending? Yep, it’s in there, and it hits the mark, even if it’s not totally new. But what really stands out is the heart—especially the touching bond between Cooper and his daughter Murph (played by Jessica Chastain).

Watch Interstellar on Apple TV!

10 Dunkirk (2017)

Nolan’s Dunkirk plunged audiences into World War II with a raw, intense portrayal of the Dunkirk evacuation. With a $100 million budget, it earned about $526 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo).

Nolan flipped the war genre on its head, focusing on the gritty human experience of survival instead of epic battles. With its three perspectives—land, sea, and air—Dunkirk created a tense, heart-pounding experience.

It was a hit both with critics and at the box office, earning Nolan three Oscars. A perfect example of how he turns real-world events into unforgettable film moments.

Watch Dunkirk on HBO Max!

11 Tenet (2020)

Tenet was Nolan’s return to enthralling complexity. With a $200 million budget, the film earned around $363 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo).

It follows a protagonist, John David Washington, who is tasked with stopping World War III using the power of time inversion. The 65mm/IMAX cinematography is a visual feast, and Ludwig Göransson’s epic score nails it.

But sometimes, the film’s complexity and creativity trip it up. The sci-fi concepts are great, but the heavy exposition slows the plot down, making it feel a bit much. Still, Tenet is quickly becoming a cult favorite, with many finding it more enjoyable on repeat viewings.

Watch Tenet on Amazon Prime Video!

12 Oppenheimer (2023)

In 2023, Nolan’s Oppenheimer (based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer) hit theaters, and it was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.

According to Box Office Mojo), Oppenheimer had a $100 million budget and made about $975 million globally (very close to hitting $1 billion). It’s a powerful, profitable look at the atomic bomb’s creation. Like Dunkirk, it’s a period piece with rousing tension, rapid editing, and full of strife style.

Cillian Murphy gives a career-defining performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the Manhattan Project. The film explores his life, the atomic bomb, and the complex mess of it all.

Nolan is firing on all cylinders here, with astonishing, beyond-belief visuals and world-shaking effects. It’s his most sophisticated story yet, and it hits hard.

Watch Oppenheimer on Amazon Prime Video!