After a lot of anticipation, Wonka finally hit the theaters in the United States this past week—and it lived up to the hype. Paul King’s musical led by Timothée Chalamet topped the domestic box office with a $39 million opening, in addition to crossing the $150 million mark worldwide.
Based on Roald Dahl’s iconic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which already produced two high-profile adaptations, this musical version puts a fun new twist on Willy Wonka’s origin story. It centers on the younger version of the beloved character, who was still only dreaming about opening his own chocolate shop.
In addition to Chalamet in the titular role, the film also stars Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carter, Natasha Rothwell, Tom Davis, Olivia Colman, and Hugh Grant.
Wonka soared to the top of the domestic box office during its opening weekend, with $39 million earned in North America. It made history as the first live-action musical of the post-pandemic era to top the box office.
The film’s global numbers are a little bit more difficult to pin down because it was released in the UK and many other overseas markets a week earlier, but its worldwide total currently stands at over $150 million.
