“Barbenheimer” may well be a cultural phenomenon, but there’s one thing Oppenheimer has over Barbie—IMAX pulling power. Christopher Nolan, his deep devotion to cinema, the large screen format, and his magnum opus about the Manhattan Project has caught the imagination of premium cinema fans like very little which came before.

It was just one week ago that Oppenheimer saw its general IMAX engagement extended by the company due to the sheer volume of customers who continued to come through the doors. While the likes of Gran Turismo and Blue Beetle are contractually obligated to get IMAX screenings, if the demand is still there for Oppenheimer, it will remain showing in tandem with these new releases. Indeed, Oppenheimer screenings continue to sell out weeks in advance even as other films are advertised.

However, Oppenheimer was also filmed in full frame IMAX 15 Perf 70mm Film—considered “the Gold Standard” of cinema. Only 30 theaters worldwide are capable of playing the film in that format, alongside others that are capable of showing the film in standard 70mm. And it’s these cinemas which have secured an exclusive extension, as reported by Variety, with screenings and engagement of Oppenheimer remaining in these theaters until the end of August, at a minimum. IMAX has also confirmed the film will remain in IMAX theaters through late summer and into the fall, should the exceptional demand continue.

The Father of the Atomic Bomb and the Grandfather of the IMAX Format

Nolan has gone hard on his promotion of IMAX in the build-up to the film’s release. The sheer size of the film itself became a viral sensation, with the platter designed to hold the film having to be extended due to the volume of the reel. The 70mm version of the film weighs over 650 lbs. and is 11 miles long. One BBC journalist, Ali Plumb, told Nolan in an interview that it would take you the same time to walk the length of Oppenheimer as it would take you to watch it.

In sheer numbers, the film’s performance has it placed as the 8th biggest IMAX release of all time. That also factors in the fact that markets like China, Japan, South Korea, and Russia have not (yet) shown the film. The film has raked in a stunning $114.2 million on IMAX screens alone. Currently, Oppenheimer is also the second movie to reach $100M at the IMAX box office with like-for-like markets.

via Collider