‘Movies need to bring back intermissions’: Movie-goer reveals when to go to the bathroom during ‘Oppenheimer’

Warning: Inconsequential spoilers for Oppenheimer to follow.

Oppenheimer has officially made its grand debut in theaters today, and if you were curious what it’s like to be transported into a finely-scored dream sequence full of subatomic particles, a stylized 1940s backdrop, and destruction as beautiful as it is spiritually devastating, Christopher Nolan has you covered in the most intoxicating way possible.

Indeed, to call Oppenheimer a cinematic triumph is the undersell of the century, but that doesn’t mean it’s beyond getting its elephant in the laboratory addressed.

There’s no denying it; Oppenheimer is a stupendously long movie, and while the fact that Cillian Murphy and company can hold so much attention for that long is admirable, some moviegoers may quickly find that keeping their bladder in check is about as herculean a feat as the film itself.

Luckily, the TikTok scouts have since returned from their screening, and their intel just might prove to be your most valuable tool during your Oppenheimer screening.

According to one @ijustwannachatpodcast, the optimal restroom window for Oppenheimer is in and around the middle of the film, where Frank Oppenheimer — the brother of the eponymous physicist — steps foot into Los Alamos for the first time. The only piece of info you’ll miss is Oppenheimer receiving his security clearance, which — as the more history-inclined viewers already know — will quickly become an irrelevant development.

Props to this person for being able to thread the needle and find this sweetspot, because Nolan seemed to go out of his way to make each and every moment as unmissable as possible; indeed, the instant you become enraptured by the world as seen through Oppenheimer’s eyes, you may almost feel guilty for even risking to avert your gaze.

My advice? Make sure you fast well before your Oppenheimer screening, and rather than drink any water beforehand, swish it around in your mouth before spitting it out in a sink. Voila! Hydration without the urination.

Oppenheimer is now playing in theaters.