Timothee Chalamet Just Broke John Travolta's 45-Year Box Office Record

With this major milestone, Timothée Chalamet is undeniably an enormous movie star … which might seem strange if you know him best from independent films like “Call Me By Your Name” or Greta Gerwig movies like “Lady Bird” and “Little Women.” (Sadly, he missed out on appearing in another 2023 blockbuster when scheduling prevented Chalamet from making a cameo in “Barbie”). Clearly, though, Chalamet helps drive people to the theater. As IndieWire noted, the massively successful “Dune” films feature a sprawling ensemble cast that includes heavy-hitters like Zendaya, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, and many, many more, so calling Chalamet a true movie star based on those could be contested. “Wonka,” however, is a Chalamet-centric vehicle, proving that the young star is a major box office draw.

Chalamet has two huge films up next on his plate; photos recently circulated of the Oscar nominee in costume as Bob Dylan for the biopic “A Complete Unknown” (directed by James Mangold), and he’s expected to reprise his role as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s next “Dune” film “Dune: Messiah.” Still, it’s clear now that, in an age of myriad streaming services and a plethora of choices, audiences just really, really love Timothée Chalamet.