Certain aspects of Interstellar haven’t aged perfectly, but it’s still a groundbreaking piece of cinema.

Nolan’s sci-fi epic centers around a team of scientists who are sent on a dangerous mission to scout the perfect location for a potential human colony, trying to save humanity from their impending destruction on a gradually dying Earth. And yet, despite the grand theatrics of the science fiction elements, Interstellar is a very grounded story about parenthood and unconditional love, which Nolan navigates masterfully. It’s one of the best mind-bending movies out there - because it uses its confounding narrative in a genuinely moving and powerful way.

Interstellar Grossed Less Than Inception & The Dark Knight Movies When It Came Out

It Wasn't Nolan's Most Commercially Successful Movie

Despite Interstellar’s incredible performances and moving story, the film wasn’t an immediate success at the time of release. In fact, compared to some of Christopher Nolan’s other films, Interstellar was viewed as somewhat of a failure. It opened to $47 million in the United States and later reached $681 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). These are great numbers for an original sci-fi movie in the early 2010s, but they’re not as astounding as the box office run that Nolan had previously been experiencing.

Inception broke records by making $828 million worldwide upon its release, which was amazing for an original concept that wasn’t based on a previously existing property. The Dark Knight did even better, narrowly crossing the $1 billion threshold and reaching $1.09 billion upon later re-releases. These were among Christopher Nolan’s highest-grossing movies ever, and Interstellar didn’t quite live up to the expectations that had been (perhaps unfairly) placed upon it.

Interstellar Had A Strong Reception, But It Didn’t Make As Much Impact As Inception

The Film Wasn't An Instant Classic Like Inception

Critically, Interstellar also failed to quite reach the heights that had been achieved by Nolan’s previous movie Inception. The latter was hailed as one of the greatest movies of all time, with critics universally praising its nonlinear storytelling and creative world-building that was rarely seen on such an enormous budget. The film also benefited from some immense set pieces and action scenes, which made it an instant crowd-pleaser. Interstellar is a much slower and more meditative film, which isn’t what audiences were expecting from Nolan at the time; as such, many viewed it as a disappointment.

Audiences were expecting a high-octane space thriller, and what they received was a much slower exploration of human purpose in the universe.

Inception was an international phenomenon, and it would’ve been almost impossible for Nolan to replicate that kind of success with Interstellar. The films are fundamentally different, and Interstellar is a much more personal film whose themes are much darker and more mature than Inception’s. It didn’t have the groundbreaking practical effects and innovative choreography that was found in Inception, and many critics used this as ammunition against the sci-fi epic. Audiences were expecting a high-octane space thriller, and what they received was a much slower exploration of human purpose in the universe.

Interstellar Has Rightfully Only Gotten More Love Since It Came Out

The Film Has Been Re-Assessed In Recent Years

Thankfully, critics and audiences alike have quickly come around on Interstellar, and it’s now viewed as one of Christopher Nolan’s most impressive projects. The film’s quality was understandably overshadowed by the popularity of Inception and The Dark Knight, but once the film was given time to breathe and audiences could watch it from a more separate, objective perspective, its powerful themes and rich storytelling became much more obvious. Interstellar is packed with strong quotes that really emphasize how excellent Nolan’s writing is, exploring fascinating themes in ways that always feel natural and raw.

Another reason for Interstellar’s growing popularity in Nolan’s filmography is that it’s completely different from everything else he’s made since. At the time of release, Nolan was consistently making sci-fi movies with outlandish concepts, so it didn’t feel as unique or singular as it does now. But since then, Nolan has shifted his style of filmmaking to encom many new genres, such as war dramas with Dunkirk, historical biopics with Oppenheimer, and espionage thrillers with Tenet. It’s been a while since he’s done a pure sci-fi adventure, which makes Interstellar even more exciting.

What Makes Interstellar Such An Unique Movie In Christopher Nolan’s Career

The Film Is Unlike Anything Else Nolan Has Made

None of Christopher Nolan’s films are the same, but Interstellar may be his most unique and individual of them all. Although it fits neatly into the sci-fi genre, which the director was certainly no stranger to, it blends styles and tones in a way that few of his projects had ever done before. The contrast between Interstellar’s macroscopic grandeur and its rich, intimate storytelling is what really makes this film special, and that’s not something to be found in Inception or The Dark Knight, which both fully lean into their huge scope and epic scale.

Interstellar’s best scenes aren’t the huge set pieces or the sweeping shots of space (though these are ittedly excellent), but rather the quieter moments that explore Cooper’s relationship with his daughter and his conflict about spending so much time away from his family. The entire film is a meditation on the age of time, and a very personal reflection on Nolan’s own experiences watching his children grow into adults. The epic scope is actually a meta-textual way for Nolan to explore how success and ambition falter in comparison to the invaluable experience of raising a family.

Nolan is renowned for his complex ideas and subversive concepts, such as dream-diving in Inception or time-reversing in Tenet. But Interstellar’s narrative is much simpler and more reminiscent of a classic sci-fi movie - from the spaceships to the faraway planets, and even the intergalactic travel. This feels like Nolan’s homage to the sci-fi genre in a much more conventional (although very creative) way, instead of trying to break ground with new, innovative ideas. That’s what separates Interstellar from the rest of Nolan’s filmography, and while it disappointed some audiences upon its release, it’s what makes this project particularly special.