Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ Claims No.1 at The Global Box Office

‘Wonka’ the whimsical movie led by the charismatic Timothée Chalamet as the eccentric chocolatier, made a delightful splash in its box office debut, raking in a sweet £39 million over the weekend.

The film, with its £125 million budget, got off to a promising start, especially considering the momentum it could gather around the festive season. December releases often don’t dazzle with massive opening weekends but have a knack for sticking around on the silver screen in the coming months.

The good tidings for Warner Bros. continue with the film securing an impressive “A-” CinemaScore from audiences. Critics, too, have bestowed their kindness upon ‘Wonka,’ giving it an 83% “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Also Read: Timothée Chalamet Sparkles in ‘Willy Wonka’ Prequel, Delivering a Nostalgic Movie Musical Experience

This bodes well for the PG film’s endurance against the upcoming competition, including Universal and Illumination’s animated ‘Migration,’ Warner’s musical adaptation of ‘The Color Purple’ and the DC Comics sequel ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.’

David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research notes, “‘Wonka’ has the right tone for the holidays, and momentum is very good.” Strong reviews from critics and positive audience scores, coupled with the genre’s overseas appeal, position ‘Wonka’ favourably in the competitive film landscape.

This latest adventure helps solidify the star power of Timothée Chalamet, the third actor to step into the shoes of the beloved Roald Dahl character, originally portrayed by Gene Wilder in 1971’s ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ and later embodied by Johnny Depp in the 2005 remake.

Also Read: ‘Wonka’: First Reactions Praise Timothée Chalamet as “Intoxicating”

Chalamet, known for leading blockbusters like ‘Dune’ and indie favourites such as ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘Little Women,’ faces the challenge of captivating audiences with his songs and dances about a world of pure imagination in this execution-dependent family film.

The film has already left its mark on the international box office, opening with an impressive £43 million last weekend and adding another £53.6 million from 77 markets, bringing its worldwide tally to a delectable £150 million.

With ‘Wonka’ standing as the sole new nationwide release for the weekend, other contenders like Lionsgate’s ‘Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ and Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ maintained their positions on the box office charts. The Hunger Games prequel, in second place, added £6.1 million in its fifth weekend, boasting a total of £145 million domestically and a global tally of £300 million to date.