Like the great glass Wonkavator, the latest film from Warner Bros. is capable of going “sideways and slantways and long ways and back ways and square ways and front ways and any other ways that you can think of” at the box office. During its opening weekend,Wonkasurpassed expectations on its way to capturing the No. 1 spot domestically with an estimated $39 million (perThe Numbers).
Timothée Chalamet’s young and charming take on author Roald Dahl’s literary character, Willy Wonka, won over the majority of moviegoers asWonkaspread its sugary sweetness around the world. In fact, the film’s box office numbers overseas dwarfed those put up here at home by a significant amount. Internationally,Wonkaeasily eclipsed the $100-million mark ($112.4 million) for a global total of $151.4 million.
As sweet a victory as it may be, the biggest hit of the year — another Warner Bros. production —Barbiemade a staggering $162 million at the domestic box office alone over its own opening weekend.Wonkaopened in just over 4,200 venues here at home and made an average of $9,279 per theater.
Related:Wonka Cast & Character Guide
Wonka Captures Hearts, Box Office
Willy Wonka (Timothée Chalamet) gains friends and powerful enemies while trying to achieve his chocolatier dreams.
Wonka’sCinemaScore of an “A-” reveals that fans coming right out of theaters are pleased with director Paul King’s prequel to the beloved 1971 film,Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Likewise, the musical dramedy is scoring well with critics as the majority of reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, which equates toWonka’simpressive Tomatometer rating of 84%, at the time of this writing.
King’sWonkareigns supreme at the weekend box office, butThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakesfound itself in a very tight race for second place.The Hunger Gamesprequel just managed to edge outThe Boy and the Heronfor the silver medal domestically with a take of $5.8 million. The animated adventure settled for the No. 3 slot with $5.2 million, whileGodzilla Minus Onestomped its way to No. 4 with $4.9 million.
Rounding out the Top 5 isTrolls Band Togetherwith $4 million. But then there’s the growing story evolving around director Yorgos Lanthimos’Poor Things. The Frankenstein-eque reimagining expanded its limited release to 82 theaters domestically this weekend, which helpedthe Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe-led moviecrack the Top 10.Poor Thingslanded the No. 10 spot with $1.28 million for a staggering per-theater average of $15,549.
Wonkais now playing exclusively in movie theaters worldwide. And be sure to check outMovieWeb’sWonkareviewto discover the sweet details behind this spectacular prequel.
