Published 11:45 IST, January 2nd 2024
Wonka: Timothée Chalamet starrer beats Aquaman at box office, eyes $400 million mark
Timothée Chalamet starrer Wonka beats Aquaman in final

Musical fantasy Wonka topped the box office on New Year’s eve. The Timothée Chalamet starrer grossed $22.7 million for the weekend and a projected $29.5 million during the four-day holiday. This brings its domestic gross to $140.2 million. Globally, the Warner Bros. release has reached the $400 million mark.
Wonka tops box office on New Year’s eve
In its third weekend, the Warner Bros. release collected an estimated $24 million. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom continued to struggle in its second week. The Color Purple grossed $50 million since opening Monday.

Wonka's box office success
While Dune was a sprawling and star-studded sci-fi adventure, Wonka relies chiefly on Chalamet’s charisma. Wonka, which cost about $125 million to produce and played at 4,203 locations, was also the first big Hollywood release to launch following the end of the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike.
Wonka, directed by Paul King of Paddington and Paddington 2, is a prequel to 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Chalamet starring as a young Wonka trying to open a candy store. Its ensemble cast includes Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman and Keegan-Michael Key.

Wonka's craze among young audience members
Chalamet has been drawing a lot of younger ticket-buyers. Moviegoers under the age of 25 accounted for 36% of the audience, which was split evenly between 51% females and 49% males. Wonka added $53.6 million in overseas ticket sales.
"Chalamet is a true movie star who’s been developing his craft and his reputation over many years," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. "Everybody’s looking for who’s the next big movie star. Is it all about the old-school leading men? Chalamet is definitely that."
(With inputs from AP)
Updated 11:45 IST, January 2nd 2024