Christopher Nolan & Cillian Murphy’s Movies Ranked Per Box Office Performance. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Advertisement
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy, known for captivating and brilliant performances, was one of the most underrated actors before landing the lead role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Interview magazine once noted that despite starring in critically acclaimed films such as Inception, 28 Days Later, and A Quiet Place Part II, the Irish actor “is still somehow cruelly underrated, and only getting better.”
Cillian Murphy, whose standout films include 2002’s 28 Days Later and 2005’s Breakfast, only achieved mainstream success once he first appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Film Batman as Scarecrow in 2005.
Christopher Nolan, who describes him as “one of the great actors of his generation, both on stage and on film,” went on to cast him in five additional projects in supporting or minor roles before finally landing a leading role in 2023’s Oppenheimer, for which he won an Academy Award. It’s been a lucrative collaboration for both.
We have ranked all of Christopher Nolan & Cillian Murphy’s Movies from worst to Best based on Box office performance.
6. Batman Begins, 2005 ($370 million)
The 2005 film saw Cillian Murphy play Scarecrow, one of Batman’s nemesis. It was the first film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy and a turning point in his career. The film pulled in over $370 million worldwide, with $205 million from domestic markets and $165 million from overseas.
5. Dunkirk, 2017 ($525 million)
Christopher Nolan, who began his career with reality-based dramatic storytelling such as Following and The Prestige, returned to his roots after releasing epic blockbuster hits. In 2017, he released a World War II epic in which Murly played a minor role as a shivering soldier at sea. The film made $188 million domestically and bagged an international haul of $337 million, for a total worldwide gross of $525 million.
4. Inception, 2010 ($826 million)
The 2010 film led by Leonardo DiCaprio saw Cillian Murphy play a high-profile target, Robert Fischer, Jr. The film grossed over $292 million domestically and $533 million internationally, for a total run of $826 million.
3. Oppenheimer, 2023 ($958.8 Million)
Christopher Nolan cast Cillian Murphy in the lead role for the first time since their collaboration began in 2005. The film grossed over $900 million, becoming the third highest-grossing film in Nolan’s career.
2. The Dark Knight, 2008 ($1.006 Billion)
Although Cillian Murphy was only seen for a couple of minutes in the Batman sequel, the movie was a critical success and was the highest-grossing movie of 2008, both domestically and internationally. The film grossed $533 million at the domestic box office and another $469 million internationally, for a cumulative $1.006 Billion.
1. Dark Knight Rises, 2012 ($1.085 Billion)
Again, Cillian Murphy only appeared for a few brief minutes in Nolan’s final Batman film. The film is the highest-grossing Nolan movie, earning $533 million domestically and $632 million internationally.
