The 'Nolan deniers': Art-house cinema finds success in Greece amid blockbuster dominance

Christopher Nolan's epic "Oppenheimer" has captured the attention of Greek audiences, filling more than half the country's cinemas and drawing a staggering 408,758 admissions across 219 screens. The film's immense popularity has left little room for other releases in the past few weeks, with the exception of the upcoming "Spider-Man" movie.

However, not all cinemas are screening Nolan's blockbuster. In the Exarcheia neighborhood of Athens, the Riviera cinema chose to screen a re-release of Béla Tarr's "The Turin Horse." This 26-year-old black-and-white film, hardly a light summer watch, has achieved remarkable success, selling out seven shows at the Riviera alone and extending its run into a third week.

Peggy Riga of the Riviera cinema explained the deliberate programming choice. "It was a conscious decision, and in a way, a statement, to play Béla Tarr opposite 'Oppenheimer,'" she said. "Not in an adversarial way, as we are also showing 'Oppenheimer' at Athinaia," she clarified, "but to highlight the contrast: on one hand, the millions spent on Nolan's film, especially its advertising, and on the other, a film that is entertaining in the sense of nurturing the soul, like 'The Turin Horse.'"

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It was a conscious decision, and in a way, a statement, to play Béla Tarr opposite 'Oppenheimer.' Not in an adversarial way, as we are also showing 'Oppenheimer' at Athinaia, but to highlight the contrast: on one hand, the millions spent on Nolan's film, especially its advertising, and on the other, a film that is entertaining in the sense of nurturing the soul, like 'The Turin Horse.'

Riga admitted she did not expect the summer cinema to fill up repeatedly, though she knew Tarr had a dedicated following. The cinema maintained its artistic integrity, starting screenings after 9 p.m. to preserve the film's colors and refusing English subtitles to avoid disrupting the "masterful" cinematography. "As Penelope, I finally found my Odysseus in Béla Tarr," she added with a laugh.

Another notable success story comes from the Cinobo's new Mascot cinema in Tavros, which sold out for a screening of Stavros Tsiolis's classic "Women, Wait." Additionally, a re-release of George Stevens's "A Place in the Sun," starring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift, attracted 1,260 viewers in just three theaters, including the popular Cine Paris in Plaka.

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As Penelope, I finally found my Odysseus in Béla Tarr.