Box Office: Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ Surpasses $150 Million Globally
Timothée Chalamet’s fantasy musical “Wonka” hit a sweet box office milestone, surpassing $150 million globally.
The song-and-dance movie about the early days of the eccentric chocolatier opened to No. 1 in North America with $39 million. It got a jump at the international box office, debuting last weekend to $43.2 million. “Wonka” collected $53.6 million overseas in its sophomore outing, bringing its foreign tally to $112.4 million and its worldwide total to $151.4 million.
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Outside of the U.S. and Canada, top markets include the U.K. with $23.2 million to date, Mexico with $11.2 million and Germany with $8.6 million.
Warner Bros. spent $125 million to produce “Wonka,” not including the many millions on global marketing efforts. Initial ticket sales are promising for a musical that’s not part of an established franchise. The property, of course, has the benefit of brand recognition from Roald Dahl’s seminal novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” as well as the 1971 film adaptation with Gene Wilder and the 2005 reboot starring Johnny Depp. But “Wonka” was far from sure-fire at a time when family audiences have been discerning about what they are willing to see at the movies. Chalamet’s star power, having endeared himself to moviegoers through blockbusters (“Dune”) and indies (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Lady Bird”) alike, played a part in filling seats for “Wonka.”
With positive reviews and enthusiastic audience scores, the kid-friendly film hopes to keep up momentum around the busy holiday season to justify its budget. December is one of the most popular times of the year at the movies, and “Wonka” will soon contend with upcoming Christmastime releases like Universal and Illumination’s animated “Migration,” Warner’s musical adaptation of “The Color Purple” and the DC Comics sequel “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.”
“Paddington” filmmaker Paul King directed “Wonka,” which co-stars Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key and Hugh Grant as an Oompa-Loompa, and centers on the humble beginnings of Willy Wonka. The story takes place long before a poor boy named Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to tour the world-famous (and heavily guarded) chocolate factory.
Elsewhere, another prequel, Lionsgate’s “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” notched a notable box office benchmark with $300 million globally. After five weeks on the big screen, the dystopian action-adventure has grossed $145 million in North America and $155.3 million internationally.
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