What’s Happening with ‘Oppenheimer’ Premieres?

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Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, has been one of the most anticipated movies of this year, of course, along with Greta Gerwing’s Barbie.  

The US Premiere was set to take place today, July 17 at 7pm ET in New York City at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square theater. However, The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) called a union strike the past July 13 and more than 160,000 professionals joined this cause.  

     In support of the ongoing SAG strike, the filmmakers of ‘Oppenheimer’ will not be proceeding with the NY premiere as originally planned, and will instead screen the movie to celebrate the crew and craftspeople who contributed to making this landmark film” —a statement from Universal Pictures.

Among the things that are being demanded, is that stream companies agree to a fairer split of profits and better working conditions. But also, an increase in payment, higher caps on pension and health contributions, audition protections, shorter series option periods, and even a serious matter that involves an AI proposal (where actors would be paid one day of work for their digital likeness, quite like Salma Hayek in Black Mirror episode “Joan is Awful”). 

The strike will have an impact on various upcoming events worldwide, including award shows, premieres, events, and film festivals. An of course, it’ll delay the 75th Emmys. Let’s remember that the last time the actors and writers were on strike simultaneously was in 1960.

 

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Una publicación compartida por SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra)

London’s Premiere

That same day, on July 13, London’s premiere was taking place at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square with the renowned actors Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr, Rami Malek, and director Christopher Nolan. Even though the protagonists attended the event, they left in solidarity with the strike. 

@screenshothq The cast of Oppenheimer left their London premiere to join other actors and writers on the SAG-AFRA picket lines for an Actor’s strike, the first one since the 1960s. #florencepugh #margotrobbie #sag #sagaftra #mattdamon #oppenheimer #barbie #actorsstrike #writerstrike ♬ Random Acts of Kindness – Thomm Jutz & Winston Green

     There are a lot of people here that we didn’t want to disappoint, but we also fully sympathize with our partners and what they’re doing. I know they’ve worked hard to get a deal done at a critical point in our industry. It’s important that we’re ready to be side by side with them as the situation develops» —said Kenneth Branagh.

As usual, the cast was expected to attend screenings of the film following the red carpet, but due to the strike, they decided to move the red carpet one hour earlier than the original schedule. It was shifted from 5:45 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. local time to allow the cast to participate in photo sessions and interviews without going against SAG-AFTRA strike rules. Although Rami Malek was a bit late because of traffic, he managed to arrive in time for the shooting.