Timothee Chalamet39s 39Wonka39 Tops Box Office With 39 Million s

Timothée Chalamet's 'Wonka' Tops Box Office With $39 Million s

Thanks to Timothée Chalamet's eccentric chocolatier Wonka, the box office is off to a good start ahead of the holidays.

Although it didn't land at No. 1 in Chalamet's Mother's official rankings, the fantasy musical is clearly enchanting audiences around the world. With a domestic debut of $39 million, Paddington 2 director Paul King's film brought its worldwide total to $151.4 million.

This is a promising start, especially for a musical film. In recent years, the genre has noticeably struggled at the box office, leading to much of the film's marketing department hiding the song-and-dance act in trailers. The prequel offers a glimpse into the origins of Willy Wonka, the magical candy man from Roald Dahl's classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Timothee Chalamet as Willy Wonka in WONKA.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Above all, Wonka tests the musical skills of budding R&B star Chalamet – but instead of rapping for an A+, Timmy T takes his inspiration from Gene Wilder as he milks giraffes, enchants Oompa Loompas and wows audiences with his chocolate creations kidnapped into a world of pure fantasy. The film also stars Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Sally Hawkins, Keegan-Michael Key and Calah Lane.

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is in second place, adding another $5.8 million to its now $145.2 million ($300.5 worldwide) total. Another origin story, the film revives the youth dystopia by showing the backstory of Coriolanus Snow, who will one day preside over Katniss Everdeen's time in the arena. Rachel Zegler's vehicle is something of a musical, with folksy tunes and a not-so-subtle hint of rebellion.

Elsewhere, legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyakazi returned to the box office after retiring (not for the first time) in 2013.

The Boy and the Heron.

Studio Ghibli

Miyazaki's latest film, “The Boy and the Heron,” enjoyed a lucrative second weekend in the U.S., grossing $5.1 million nationwide. This brings its total domestic haul to $23.1 million, while its global haul now stands at $126.5 million.

“Godzilla Minus One” is still going strong, attracting an additional $4.8 million in tickets in the U.S. for a total of $34.3 million (US$65.4 million). dollars worldwide). The kaiju epic, the 37th Godzilla film to date, has become the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film in North America. Set in Japan, the film tells a story that is completely separate from Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse. Set in the aftermath of World War II, it follows a man with post-traumatic stress disorder who must resume his fight when a new threat emerges in the form of a giant monster.

Trolls Band Together sets a whole new benchmark, rounding out the top five with an additional $4 million. The film, which follows Anna Kendrick and Justin Timberlake as singing trolls Poppy and Branch, reaches a whole new audience by bringing NSYNC back together for the latest musical adventure. It currently sits at $88.6 million domestically, with a worldwide total of $183.1 million.

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