Cillian Murphy in ‘Oppenheimer’.Photo:Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
Christopher Nolan’s new movieOppenheimerdives deep into 20th century history — but it appears to have made an anachronistic mistake along the way.
“It was good and all, but I’ll be that guy and complain they used 50-star flags in a scene set in 1945,” aTwitteruser named Andy Craig shared last Friday.
In real life, the United States' flag bore only 48 stars to represent the country’s 48 states at the time. Hawaii and Alaska were bothadmitted into the unionin 1959, more than a decade after the Manhattan Project’s research led to the August 1945 atomic bombings of Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki and end of World War II, as depicted inOppenheimer.The 50-star American flag was first flown on July 4, 1960, according to theEisenhower Presidential Library.
The apparent mistake is not present each time an American flag appears in the movie; another shot showing Oppenheimer and the flag appears to bear the appropriate amount of stars.
Oppenheimeris a biopic centered around the life of the theoretical physicist who rose to prominence in the early 1900s and eventually worked as a director on the Manhattan Project’s efforts to build an atomic bomb in New Mexico during World War II. The film covers much of Oppenheimer’s life before, during and after World War II and sheds light on the events that led to the denial of his security clearance in the 1950s as well as the development of nuclear weapons.
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The movie proved a critical and box office success following its theatrical release last Friday. The film’s success combined withBarbie’s popularity at the box office — a phenomenon commonly known as Barbenheimer — made for the fourth-largest domestic box office weekend ever, according toVariety.
Anticipation for both films was so high that film-data research companyThe QuorumestimatedOppenheimermade $4.98 million in ticket salesfrom people who originally intended to seeBarbieand found that screenings were sold out.
Kenneth Branagh, Rami Malek, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Cillian Murphy, Christopher Nolan, Robert Downey Jr. and Josh Hartnett attend the “Oppenheimer” UK Premiere at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 13, 2023 in London, England.Gareth Cattermole/Getty
Gareth Cattermole/Getty
The researchers conducted a survey ofOppenheimerviewers on Sunday, asking moviegoers why they saw theChristopher Nolanfilm. The company’s founder David Herrin toldIndieWirethat “bought ticket becauseBarbiewas sold out” was one of the options for respondents.
In addition to Murphy, Nolan’s new movie also starsMatt Damon,Florence Pugh,Emily Blunt,Robert Downey Jr.,Kenneth Branagh,David Krumholtz,Josh Peck,Casey Affleck, Benny Safdie,Josh Hartnett,Rami Malek,Kenneth Branaghand Jack Quaid, among others.
Oppenheimeris in theaters now.
source: people.com
