Universal started out its CinemaCon presentation with the big one: New footage from Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer".

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Nolan's ‘Oppenheimer’ drops intense trailer

"I know of no more dramatic tale, with higher stakes, twists and turns, paradoxes," Nolan told a room full of theatre owners Wednesday in Las Vegas. "In learning about that story, I wanted to be in that room and see what that must have been like."

'Oppenheimer' delves into the life and ethically questionable accomplishments of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a physicist who is credited with designing the atomic bomb. Oppenheimer was the director of the Los Alamos Laboratory, where the bombs were built, and one of the key contributors to the Manhattan initiative, a government research initiative centered on producing nuclear weapons that spanned from 1942 to 1946.

"Oppenheimer", due in cinemas on July 21, is about J Robert Oppenheimer, the brilliant, charismatic physicist who, along with his peers at Los Alamos, developed the atomic bomb and changed the world. Cillian Murphy, a frequent Nolan collaborator going back to "Batman Begins", plays the title role in a starry cast that includes Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and many more.

'Oppenheimer' is played by Cillian Murphy, who is securing the lead for the first time in a Christopher Nolan film. Having previously starred in 'Inception,' 'Batman Begins,' 'The Dark Knight,' 'The Dark Knight Rises,' and 'Dunkirk,' Murphy has been a mainstay in many of Nolan's movies.

"Like it or not, he is the most important person who ever lived. He made the world we live in for better or worse. His story has to be seen to be believed," Nolan said. "His story is both dream and nightmare."

Nolan shot the movie on large format IMAX in both colour and black and white, but "not too much black and white, don't worry," he said.

"Oppenheimer" marks the first time Nolan has partnered with Universal, after he parted ways with his longtime studio Warner Bros. amid the shop's divisive pivot to streaming for its 2022 releases.