Syncopy Films Inc.
Private
IndustryFilm
Foundation27 February 2001 (age 25)
Founders
Location city
ProductsMotion pictures
Owners
  • Emma Thomas
  • Christopher Nolan
Num employees (2018)4

Syncopy Inc.[1] is a British-American film production company founded and operated by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan. The name of the company is a play on syncopation.[2] It has offices in London[3] and Los Angeles.[4]

The on-screen logo contains a maze with the company name.

History

Founded on 27 February 2001,[5] the majority of Syncopy's productions have been distributed by Warner Bros.[6] They partnered with Legendary Pictures to produce Batman Begins (2005), The Prestige (2006), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). In 2013, Syncopy released Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, and in 2015, they formed a joint venture with Zeitgeist Films to release Blu-ray editions of Zeitgeist's prestige films. The first title in their partnership was Elena (2011), from director Andrey Zvyagintsev.[7] Later on, the production company produced the science fiction film Interstellar (2014), the documentary short Quay (2015), the war film Dunkirk (2017), and the spy film Tenet (2020), all directed by Christopher Nolan.[8]

Other than Nolan and Thomas, the company employs only two people. In a 2018 interview for Vanity Fair, Thomas said, "We're not empire builders, we're about the individual film."[9][10] In October 2021, it was announced that Nolan's next film, titled Oppenheimer, would be shot in IMAX and 65mm film. It was released on 21 July 2023. The film stars Cillian Murphy in the title role, with Hoyte van Hoytema, Jennifer Lame, and Ludwig Göransson all returning in their respective technical roles.[11] This is Nolan's first film distributed by Universal Pictures[12] and his first Best Picture and Best Director Oscar win at the 96th Academy Awards.[13]

Filmography

Feature films

YearTitleDirectorCo-production company(s)DistributorBox officeRef.
2005Batman BeginsChristopher NolanLegendary Pictures, DC EntertainmentWarner Bros. Pictures$375 million[14]
2006The PrestigeTouchstone Pictures, Newmarket FilmsWarner Bros. Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures$109 million[15]
2008The Dark KnightLegendary Pictures, DC EntertainmentWarner Bros. Pictures$1 billion[16]
2010InceptionLegendary Pictures$839 million[17]
2012The Dark Knight RisesLegendary Pictures, DC Entertainment$1.11 billion[18]
2013Man of SteelZack SnyderLegendary Pictures, DC Entertainment, Peters Entertainment$670 million[19]
2014InterstellarChristopher NolanLegendary Pictures, Lynda Obst ProductionsWarner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures$774 million[20]
2017DunkirkRatPac-Dune EntertainmentWarner Bros. Pictures$549 million[21]
2020Tenet$365 million[22]
2023OppenheimerAtlas EntertainmentUniversal Pictures$975 million[23]
2026The OdysseyTBA[24]
Box office total:$6.7 billion—

Short films

YearTitleDirectorCo-production company(s)DistributorRef.
2015QuayChristopher NolanZeitgeist Films[25][26]
2019The Doll's BreathStephen Quay and Timothy QuayKoninck Studios[27][28][29]

References

  1. ^ "Superior Court of The State of California for the County of Los Angeles". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived 6 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  2. ^ Shone, p. 18.
  3. ^ "Syncopy Films Inc. - YouTube". YouTube
  4. ^ Fritz, Ben (14 October 2013). "Hollywood Steps Up Security to Keep Scripts Secret". The Wall Street Journal. Archived 21 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. ^ "SYNCOPY, INC, Beverly Hills CA - Company Profile | BizStanding". bizstanding.com. Archived 7 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  6. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (10 December 2020). "After Christopher Nolan's Explosive Remarks, Could Warner Bros. Lose Its Superstar Director?". Variety. Archived 11 December 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  7. ^ "Christopher Nolan's Syncopy Teaming With Zeitgeist on Blu-ray Releases (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 20 February 2015. Archived 24 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Syncopy". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Meet the Woman Behind Dunkirk". Vanity Fair. Archived 27 August 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  10. ^ "Q&A: Christopher Nolan on the power of the people and why '2001' should be required preschool viewing". Los Angeles Times. Archived 12 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (8 October 2021). "Cillian Murphy Confirmed to Star As J. Robert Oppenheimer in Christopher Nolan's Next Film at Universal, Film Will Bow in July 2023". Deadline. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Christopher Nolan's 'Oppenheimer' Has Found Its Star and Release Date". Observer. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Christopher Nolan wins his first Oscar for directing 'Oppenheimer'". AP News
  14. ^ "Batman Begins (2005)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 24 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  15. ^ "The Prestige (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 21 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  16. ^ "The Dark Knight (2008)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 2 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  17. ^ "Inception (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 8 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  18. ^ "The Dark Knight Rises (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 5 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Man of Steel (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 15 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Interstellar (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 7 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
  21. ^ "Dunkirk (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 23 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  22. ^ "Tenet (2020)". Box Office Mojo. Archived 3 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  23. ^ "Oppenheimer". 15398776. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  24. ^ "Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey". DNEG. Archived August 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  25. ^ Labrecque, Jeff (27 July 2015). "Christopher Nolan's next movie is a documentary short". Entertainment Weekly. Archived 27 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  26. ^ Hoffman, Jordan (20 August 2015). "The Quay Brothers: a nightmarish inspiration for Christopher Nolan". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  27. ^ Dudok de Wit, Alex (27 August 2024). "'Images Heard And A Music Seen': A Conversation With The Brothers Quay". Move Madly. Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  28. ^ "The Doll's Breath". Illuminations Media. 11 September 2019. Archived 6 September 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  29. ^ "The Doll's Breath". Retrieved 26 November 2024.

Further reading

  • Shone, Tom (2020). The Nolan Variations: The Movies, Mysteries, and Marvels of Christopher Nolan. Knopf. ISBN 978-05-256-5532-9.