Timothée Chalamet is a rising star in the Hollywood industry with a shining resume. With the grand success of Timothee Chalamet’s recent films, “Wonka” and “Dune: Part Two,” the actor has broken a box office record previously held by John Travolta. The young boy who began his acting career with a breakout role in “Ladybird” has gone on to become one of the most well-known stars of his generation.
Successful Films that made Timothée Chalamet the star of his generation
Timothée Chalamet appeared in two blockbuster films that marked its release within eight months of each other. The year 2023 was indeed a year that brought fortune and fame to his career. Not that Chalamet wasn’t a known artist before appearing in these two films, but with his involvement in these two projects, he even broke the record of legendary actor John Travolta. Chalamet starred as the titular chocolatier in Paul King’s Wonka”(2023), which went on to gross $628.5 million worldwide. He also stars as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two”(2024), which is currently at $494.7 million and counting.
As updated by Collider, Chalamet’s recent sci-fi epic film, Dune: Part Two box office, depicts that the actor has broken Travolta’s 45-year-old record of starring in two of the highest-grossing movies within eight months of each other. Travolta starred in 1977’s Saturday Night Fever and 1978’s Grease, which were big hits and set a record for the highest-grossing films of his career.
Meanwhile, Chalamet’s films Dune: Part Two and Wonka have now made over $1 billion worldwide.
While it takes years for an actor to make such an impression on an audience that they come to the theaters just by the mention of their name, Chalamet seems to have done that really quickly. Although, since both his films Wonka and Dune: Part Two are based on existing IP, i.e., it was an adapted version and already has its own established fanbase, it is difficult to say that Chalamet’s involvement in the film was the sole reason for its success. However, Chalamet’s impact also cannot be overlooked.
Chalamet’s Wonka tells the origin story of Willy Wonka, a character in the 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Since 60 years have passed since the inception of this story, Wonka wasn’t a guaranteed hit. Moreover, it’s a prequel, many of the beloved elements of the original story and its subsequent adaptations are absent. Despite these facts, the film was a box-office success, and the credit can be given to Chalamet’s charm that drove the moviegoers to the theater.
Talking about his second-highest-grossing film, Dune: Part Two, the film featured an ensemble cast including, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, and more. Directed by Denis Villeneuve, the sequel was the adaptation of the 1965 novel Dune by Frank Herbert, and it received rave reviews from critics. However, though the film performed phenomenally at the box office, Chalamet is not solely responsible for its success. To gauge whether Chalamet is enough alone to run a film, it would be necessary to lead a non-IP blockbuster with similar results.
