Timothee Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ Hits Sweet Box Office Milestone With $500 Million Globally
“Wonka” has crossed a sweet box office milestone. The fantasy musical, starring Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier, surpassed $500 million in global ticket sales.
After five weeks on the big screen, “Wonka” has generated $176.2 million domestically and $329.1 million internationally, bringing its global tally to $505.3 million. Warner Bros. backed the film, which cost $125 million and has proven to be a worthy revisit to the world of pure imagination.
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Chalamet’s star power, having endeared himself to moviegoers through blockbusters (“Dune”) and indies (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Lady Bird”), has played a part in the triumph of “Wonka.” Of course, the movie also 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 at a time when family audiences (the film’s target demographic) have been picky about what they’re willing to pay to see on the big screen, “Wonka” was not a guaranteed smash.
Critics and audiences have been complimentary to “Wonka,” which was directed by “Paddington” filmmaker Paul King and co-stars Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key and Hugh Grant (as an Oompa-Loompa). The PG prequel centers on the humble beginnings of Willy Wonka and takes place long before a poor boy named Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to tour the world-famous (and heavily guarded) chocolate factory.
“It is incredibly validating to see this film achieve such an exciting milestone,” Mike De Luca and Pamela Abdy the co-Chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group said. “We are grateful to our partners in exhibition for their unwavering support and the audiences around the globe who came out for this big-screen celebration.”
“The Color Purple,” another movie musical from Warner Bros., hasn’t enjoyed the same enduring success. After starting strong (and nearly setting a holiday record), the adaptation of the book-turned-beloved-movie-turned-hit-Broadway-musical has stalled with $58.3 million to date. “The Color Purple” has far exceeded recent stage-to-screen attempts, like Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake, “In the Heights,” “Dear Evan Hansen” and “Cats.” But it cost $100 million to produce and, at this rate, won’t turn a profit in theaters.
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