Is Timothee Chalamet Hollywood’s next leading man?

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Thanks to his recent starring roles in Wonka and Dune: Part Two, Timothee Chalamet has become one of Hollywood’s most bankable box-office stars.

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Last month, Chalamet, 28, broke a record that was set over four decades ago when he became the first actor since John Travolta to star in two top-grossing films within eight months of each other.

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According to Indiewire, Chalamet’s most recent films Wonka ($218 million) and Dune: Part Two ($252 million and counting) are the only two movies to have surpassed $200 million at the North American box office since last July.

The last actor to achieve this rare feat was Travolta, 70, back in the 1970s for his films Saturday Night Fever and Grease, which were released eight months apart between 1977 and 1978.

“Congratulations Timothee! It’s great to have someone to share my box office record with,” Travolta wrote in an Instagram message complimenting the Oscar nominee.

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Thanks to his success in the films, Warner Bros. is doubling down on the actor. The studio inked a multi-year feature film deal with Chalamet to collaborate on future projects as a star and producer.

After earning $8 million for Wonka, he’s also looking at a big pay increase, with sources telling Variety Chalamet could command a salary in the double digits for leading roles in studio films. 

“We can count on one or two hands, in any age range, the people who are legitimate movie stars,” Dune producer Mary Parent tells Variety. “Timothee is absolutely that.”

“I was looking for someone with deep intelligence in their eyes, with an aristocratic charisma,” Dune writer-director Denis Villeneuve told Postmedia about casting Chalamet as his leading man. “I wanted someone who would look like an old soul.”

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Now, according to analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations, Chalamet, who boasts over 19 million followers on Instagram, “seems poised to become a bankable star.”

“He has the ‘it’ factor. Charisma and talent — just like Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio before him,” Bock tells Postmedia. 

Part of Chalamet’s success has come from the types of films he’s chosen to act in. He first made a splash by appearing in critically acclaimed indies like Call Me by Your Name, Beautiful Boy and Lady Bird. He also starred in and produced the dark cannibal drama Bones and All, which was a hit on the film fest circuit, and took on a smaller role in Interstellar, getting a chance to work with Christopher Nolan a decade ago.

“Chalamet earned his indie stripes, and slowly made a name for himself earning rave reviews in that world, before cementing his feet in cinematic stone with Wonka and Dune 2,” Bock says. “He’s a very talented actor, but on the flip side is that he’s also choosing four-quadrant films.”

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“While some may argue he’s just part of preexisting popular IP, you can’t tell me Chalamet hasn’t played at least some part in those films massive box office successes,” says Erick Weber, who runs Awards Ace and Midnight Movie Talk.

Having appeared in a range of genres, Comscore senior market analyst Paul Dergarabedian says his versatility and range “bodes well for a long and distinguished career.”

“The combination of great roles and his likeable persona on and off camera have served the actor well and it seems that the consensus is that Chalamet has the charisma, star power and acting chops that make him a true movie star to be reckoned with and acknowledged,” Dergarabedian says in an interview.

Unlike some of his contemporaries, like Spider-Man star Tom Holland, Chalamet became a star without appearing in a Marvel or superhero film. Going forward, Dergarabedian expects the actor to continue being guided by artistic choices.

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“He’s no overnight success,” Dergarabedian says. “Chalamet has put in the work to already be considered one of the biggest movie stars in the world and with decades ahead of him, it will be exciting to see where his career goes from here.”

Chalamet is in the midst of filming A Complete Unknown, in which he’ll play Bob Dylan in a new biopic. It’s another stretch, but one we should expect.

“To accept that role, and the guaranteed scrutiny playing a legend like Dylan will bring, proves Timothee is pretty damn fearless,” Weber says.

Even if that movie doesn’t match the financial success of Wonka or Dune, theatrical consultant and box office analyst Shawn Robbins thinks that Chalamet will continue to stake new ground.

“It’s always challenging to predict what path certain stars will take. His ability to choose more of the kind of work he wants is growing, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a mix of commercial films alongside more prestige movies. The ‘one for them, one for me’ concept has always been popular among the most in-demand stars.”

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When Chalamet spoke to Postmedia in 2022, he chalked up his success to working with directors like Luca Guadagnino, Villeneuve and Paul King. “I’ve been lucky to have people like (them) in my life — people who are hugely successful, but also smart. People who aren’t successful for the wrong reasons and possess a super amount of talent.”

While giving credit to his family and friends, Chalamet said he was also guided by being slightly uncertain in deciding what roles he wants to play.

“I always felt that expression in the arts, whether it was on stage or in the movies or as a really bad talent show act, was a relief. In another sense, I always felt that to be unsure of your footing was crucial to that,” he said.

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