NEW YORK — An audience at the Times Square AMC theater erupted into the type of cheer one would see at a Marvel movie during a screening of Oppenheimer after the titular character gave his iconic “now I am become death” speech, according to those in attendance.
“It was so fucking sick. So fucking sick. Actually getting to hear Oppenheimer say ‘now I am become death’ on the big screen was 100% my ‘Avengers, assemble’ moment,” said moviegoer and nuclear physics fan Tyler Hancock. “As soon as he said it, the audience just went absolutely nuts. I mean, we cheered really loud when Einstein showed up — and everyone went nuts when he stuck out his tongue — but people were standing up and clapping for the ‘I am become death’ line. I’ve never felt such electricity in a movie theater before.”
Early reviews of the film have called it “an action-adventure romp filled with laughs, daring stunts, romance, and an infectious sense of fun.”
“Probably the most fun I’ve had in the theater in a long time. I was doing the Leo pointing meme every time someone mentioned a famous scientist or horrific bombing,” said Linda Michael. “There was one hilarious scene where Oppenheimer and his buddies are debating if they should nuke Japan and one of them just straight up hits the button, and then they’re like ‘Did you just… did you just do the bomb?’ and then Oppe is like ‘yeah, we may have just done the bomb.’ Everyone was laughing so hard, I’m gonna have to watch it again at home to catch all of the dialogue I missed.”
Director Christopher Nolan said he was pleased to hear people are enjoying the film the way it was meant to be seen.
“Oppenheimer is designed to be watched in a big rowdy crowd who just loves this shit,” Nolan said. “We know it’s dumb fun, but all the little references to the lore and the goofy moments… sure, you might call it ‘empty content,’ but it’s what we nerds love. And the best part for me? Seeing everyone go crazy after the credits when it said ‘Oppenheimer will return.’ We’re not just making one movie — we’re making a world. And Oppenheimer is gonna blow it up.”
At press time, early box office reports revealed that not a single person under the age of 30 had bought a ticket for Oppenheimer.
