Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas Set for CinemaCon Honor

Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas, well-known proponents of the theatrical experience, will be honored at CinemaCon, the Las Vegas convention for theater owners set for April.

The married couple and creative partners will receive the NATO Spirit of the Industry Award on Thursday, April 27, at Caesars Palace, the home of the convention.

Filmmaker Nolan and producer Thomas have Oppenheimer due out July 21 from Universal. It is their first project with the studio after a public exit from longtime home Warner Bros. after parent company WarnerMedia released Warners’ entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on streaming service HBO Max amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic — a move Nolan decried, mincing no words about what he thought.

The duo’s films have earned $5 billion at the box office, with their filmography including the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Dunkirk and Tenet. Their latest film stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist crucial to the development of the atomic bomb.

“I am deeply honored to present the Spirit of the Industry Award to our good friends Chris and Emma as my last official act as President of NATO,” said NATO president and CEO John Fithian. “No one has done more to advance the theatrical experience than these two champions of cinema.”

CinemaCon runs April 24-27 and comes as the theatrical marketplace continues to face a number of headwinds nearly three years after the coronavirus pandemic initially shuttered theaters. It also comes as Fithian’s tenure at NATO’s helm winds down after more than 22 years. Nolan’s former home, Warner Bros., already has plans to screen The Flash in full at the convention.