In the title compound, C36H44N2O2, the dihedral angles between the phthalonitrile ring and the two di-tert-butyl­benzene rings are 68.134 (8) and 70.637 (11)°. The two nitrile groups are almost coplanar with the phthalonitrile ring except for one of the N atoms which deviates from the plane by 0.125 (4) Å. One of the tert-butyl groups is disordered over two orientations, with refined occupancies of 0.814 (6) and 0.186 (6). Intra­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions stabilize the molecular structure. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯N inter­actions.