Summary
- Timothée Chalamet breaks John Travolta's record of starring in two of the highest-grossing movies that are released within eight months of each other.
- Wonka has now grossed $628.5 million worldwide while Dune: Part Two has grossed $494.7 million and counting.
- Chalamet's true test as a movie star will come when he leads a blockbuster not based on existing IP.
Thanks to the success of Wonka, Timothée Chalamet breaks a record previously held by John Travolta. After a breakout role in Little Women, Chalamet has gone on to become one of the most well-known stars of his generation. The actor starred as the titular chocolatier in Paul King's Wonka, which went on to gross $628.5 million worldwide, and stars as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two, which is currently at $494.7 million and counting.
According to a new report from Dune: Part Two's box office means Chalamet has broken Travolta's 45-year-old record of starring in two of the highest-grossing movies within eight months of each other. Travolta previously held the record due to 1977's Saturday Night Fever and 1978's Grease, both of which were big hits. Collectively, Dune: Part Two and Wonka have now made over $1 billion worldwide.
Dune 2 Makes Denis Villeneuve's $267.7 Million Box Office Bomb From 7 Years Ago Even Worse
Dune: Part Two has been both an enormous critical and commercial success, making the failings of an earlier sci-fi epic seen even more disappointing.
Do Wonka & Dune: Part Two Cement Chalamet As A Bankable Movie Star?
Why There's One Test For Chalamet Still To Come
While movie stars like Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson, and Leonardo DiCaprio remain actors that can bring audiences to theaters due to their star power alone, they're now all over 50. There was initially some question as to whether a younger actor like this exists, but Chalamet now certainly appears to be such a figure. While both Wonka and Dune: Part Two are based on existing IP, which surely contributed to their success, Chalamet's impact also cannot be discounted.
Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is now 60 years old, meaning Wonka wasn't a guaranteed hit. What's more, the film is a prequel, meaning many of the beloved elements of the original story and its subsequent adaptations are absent. Despite this, however, Wonka's box office beat expectations, with Chalamet's charm evidently proving strong enough to draw younger audiences to theaters.
Wonka is currently available to stream on Max.
Chalamet is the centerpiece of Dune: Part Two's cast, but that film also features major stars like Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, and more. The film also earned rave reviews from critics, and it follows up Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation, which was also a success. It's challenging then, to determine just how instrumental Chalamet was to the sequel's success. The true test for Chalamet will be whether he can lead a non-IP blockbuster with similar results, but both Wonka and Dune: Part Two suggest he's more than up for the task.
Source: Collider
