Interstellar debuted with positive reviews and an impressive box office showing for a non-franchise Nolan project. Following its IMAX re-release in December 2024, Interstellar has amassed over $740 million against a $165 million budget (via Box Office Mojo), and currently holds a 72% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the widespread acclaim and enthusiasm for his movie back in 2014, it would take another decade before Nolan would win Best Picture, let alone Best Director, for 2023’s Oppenheimer. With Interstellar now streaming on Netflix, it’s a great opportunity to see again why those feats should have occurred so much earlier.
Interstellar Is Now Streaming On Netflix For The First Time In The US
Christopher Nolan’s Sci-Fi Hit Interstellar Has Finally Joined Netflix’s Movie Library
Though Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi movies – Interstellar in particular – are generally better suited for theatrical viewing than at-home on a smaller screen, their additions to streaming catalogs still provide a more accessible way for new audiences to find his work and established fans to easily rewatch his masterpieces. As such, Interstellar joining Netflix’s movie library on January 1, 2025 is a huge win for the streaming service, with the anticipation to watch the Matthew McConaughey-starring sci-fi film doubtlessly being much higher after Nolan’s achievements with Oppenheimer.
Christopher Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi movie Inception is also now streaming on Netflix.
Before coming to Netflix in 2025, Interstellar had long been available to stream on Paramount+, unsurprisingly due to the movie being a Paramount Pictures co-production, but Netflix’s larger subscriber numbers now offer a much wider audience reach. Of course, its arrival on Netflix also came at the perfect time, as Interstellar’s high-demand IMAX re-release in December was only available in select locations, with many missing out on seeing the film in the premium format. It may not be the same as watching Interstellar on the big screen, but having immediate access to the sci-fi hit is still a great benefit.
RelatedInterstellar has only recently been understood as one of Christopher Nolan’s best films, but the resurgence in popularity is well deserved.
There are no reports of Interstellar having been available to stream on Netflix in the US prior to its January 2025 release, which will certainly help open the Christopher Nolan movie up to a brand-new slate of audiences. Additionally, since Interstellar’s cast stars a young Timothée Chalamet as Coop’s son, Tom, the interest in seeing the film on Netflix should also be greater due to the actor’s current critically acclaimed theatrical release, A Complete Unknown. Not to mention, Nolan’s name is back in the headlines following the announcement of his upcoming adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
Interstellar Is Still One Of Christopher Nolan’s Best Movies
Interstellar Remains A Major Achievement In Filmmaking
Christopher Nolan has no shortage of acclaimed movies, and has continued to release incredibly strong award contenders, critical hits, and box office successes in the time since Interstellar. However, given its technical and storytelling achievements, influence on the sci-fi genre, and compelling performances by its cast, Interstellar remains one of Christopher Nolan’s best movies from across his prolific filmmaking career.
Interstellar is arguably Christopher Nolan’s best sci-fi and most emotionally compelling movie to date, with the director having then mastered his craft while integrating many of the successful, innovative elements of his celebrated earlier sci-fi projects like The Prestige and Inception. Interstellar stands tall among other Christopher Nolan movies that have created long-awaited milestones in his career, made a lasting impact on their genres and technical filmmaking, and exemplified his greatest strengths as a filmmaker.
Christopher Nolan Movie
Rotten Tomatoes Score
Box Office Total
Following (1998)
83%
$126,052
Memento (2000)
94%
$40.05 million
Insomnia (2002)
92%
$113.76 million
Batman Begins (2005)
85%
$375.40 million
The Prestige (2006)
77%
$109.68 million
The Dark Knight (2008)
94%
$1.01 billion
Inception (2010)
87%
$839.03 million
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
87%
$1.11 billion
Interstellar (2014)
72%
$740.73 million
Dunkirk (2017)
92%
$530.43 million
Tenet (2020)
70%
$365.30 million
Oppenheimer (2023)
93%
$975.59 million
Of course, 2008’s The Dark Knight is another of Nolan’s most revolutionary films, being a groundbreaking adaptation that changed the perception of what a superhero movie could and should be in Hollywood. Furthermore, Interstellar has earned a place high among the ranks of Nolan’s most influential films like Oppenheimer, arriving as his Best Picture-winning war biopic epic, Dunkirk, proving to be a masterful war drama, and Inception, which continues to be one of the most clever and innovative action sci-fi movies from the 21st century.
Interstellar Shockingly Wasn’t Nominated For The Best Picture Oscar (But Deserved To Be That Year’s Winner)
Interstellar’s Influential Legacy Continues To Be Strengthened As Time Passes
Though Interstellar is now widely regarded as one of Christopher Nolan’s greatest filmmaking achievements, it was shockingly snubbed at the 2015 Oscars in the top category. In 2015, the Best Picture nominees were Birdman (which won the award), American Sniper, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, and Whiplash. To be fair, 2014 was an incredibly strong year for movies, so Interstellar had steep competition during the awards circuit. But, the fact that it wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture, despite its holistic, influential accomplishments, is baffling.
RelatedIt’s been 10 years since Christopher Nolan released Interstellar, and while there’s a lot to love, there are some flaws that stand out on a rewatch.
One explanation for Interstellar’s snub that year is the fact that the majority of the 2015 Best Picture Oscar nominees were biopics, dramas, historical films, and timely commentaries on the pressures of craft-making and the industry itself. Interstellar didn’t quite fit this mold, so, unlike Christopher Nolan’s previous sci-fi hit Inception, it was left out of Best Picture contention. Additionally, perhaps even more surprisingly, Christopher Nolan wasn’t even nominated for Best Director for Interstellar, despite being one of the greatest examples of his direction to date.
It’s shocking today to recall Interstellar being excluded from Best Picture contention, especially since its reputation has grown even more positive in the decade since.
Interstellar wasn’t completely forgotten at the 2015 Oscars ceremony, however. The Christopher Nolan movie was nominated for Oscars in the Best Original Score, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects categories, the latter of which Interstellar won. Still, it’s shocking today to recall Interstellar being excluded from Best Picture contention, especially since its reputation has grown even more positive in the decade since, which can’t be said for some of the other films that received nods in the category that year.
Birdman remains a fantastic piece of filmmaking with poignant themes and timely cultural commentary, and is certainly among Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Michael Keaton’s best work, but it’s currently difficult to believe that it will have a stronger, more influential, and enduring legacy in Hollywood’s future than Interstellar. It took a long time for Nolan’s movies to break the barrier of Oscar contention despite their cultural and technical influence (Inception was his first Best Picture nod), but with Oppenheimer finally landing him a win, his upcoming films, hopefully, won’t be overlooked in the same fashion as Interstellar in 2015.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, Rotten Tomatoes
Your changes have been saved
