"Oppenheimer" 70mm film reels are 600 pounds — and reach IMAX's "outer limit" due to the movie's 3-hour runtime
CBSN
Director Christopher Nolan recently revealed "Oppenheimer" is his longest film yet. Now, we know just how long the film is — literally. The movie is set to run in 30 IMAX theaters, and the reel of 70mm film is a whopping 11 miles long, Nolan told The Associated Press. It also weighs 600 pounds.
"Oppenheimer" will premiere Friday worldwide and be shown on standard screens as well as in IMAX. But Nolan said he recommends seeing the film at an IMAX theater. Before digital recording became the norm, movies were usually recorded on 35mm film. IMAX movies printed on 70mm film, however, have a wider and taller aspect ratio and are projected onto a larger screen.
In an May interview with Total Film, Nolan said it was his longest movie yet, revealing it was "kissing three hours," which is slightly longer than his 2014 movie "Interstellar," which runs about 2 hours and 47 minutes.