Paul King’s Wonka movie is currently projected to make between $30-40 million during its opening weekend in the United States.
Per Variety, the Timothée Chalamet-starring Wonka movie, which opens later this week, is currently eyeing a $35 million opening weekend. Deadline reports a slightly higher opening box office weekend for Wonka around the $40 million mark, while it’s already brought in approximately $43.2 million from overseas openings.
In comparison, Tim Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opened to approximately $56.18 million during its opening weekend in the United States. It went on to make a total of $206,459,076 in the United States, with the film’s worldwide gross being $474,968,763.
Wonka has an estimated budget of $125 million, meaning it will likely pass the break-even point shortly after it releases in the United States, Canada, and more territories on December 15, 2023.
While Illumination’s Migration and Warner Bros.’ Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (both of which release on December 22, 2023) could provide some competition in the coming weeks, there currently aren’t a large number of children/family movies receiving wide releases in January, meaning Wonka could also have some box office staying power into 2024.
What is the Timothée Chalamet-starring Wonka about?
“Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, Wonka tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today,” the official synopsis reads.
Along with Chalamet, Wonka stars Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Sally Hawkins, Olivia Colman, Rakhee Thakrar, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith.
Wonka releases in United States theaters on December 15, 2023, from Warner Bros.
