The overlap is considerable, the appeal similar. But Timothée Chalamet does not have the same opportunity to dominate the box office.
Timothée Chalamet, the 26-year-old costar of Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Bones and All’ (United Artists), is inspiring slavish fans and critical acclaim – much like Leonardo DiCaprio did 25 years ago when he made ‘Titanic’ . The similarities in their trajectories are remarkable. Precociously talented; acclaimed portraits of sensitive teenagers; roles at risk; first passionate follow-ups by teenage girls; and acting Oscar nomination before age 27 (in Chalamet’s case).
Their big difference is that Chalamet stands on the threshold of a great career. At the same time in his own work, DiCaprio could have retired and been considered an iconic star. None of this diminishes Chalamet’s significant accomplishments, but it does highlight the differences between their eras.
“Bones and All” is not “Titanic” (not that anything). The best-case scenario for this $16 million budget drama is a breakthrough, not a blockbuster. Guadagnino (“Call Me By Your Name,” “Suspiria”) has earned a reputation for edgy, R-rated movies with meaningful (and stylish) sex and violence. If the cannibalistic ’80s road-trip romance finds a wider audience, a lot of credit will go to Chalamet.
“Bones and All” premiered at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals to positive response. It opens in five New York/Los Angeles theaters this Friday before streaming to over 2,500 the following Wednesday, with Warner Bros. Discovery managing most overseas territories.
Chalamet makes his producer debut here, his second film with Guadagnino after their breakout “Call Me By Your Name.” What’s curious is that here, as with most of his films, he’s not clearly in the lead – a rare example of a leading man’s self-effacement. The story belongs to Taylor Russell’s Maren, a cannibal who embarks on a journey across the country and finds other flesh eaters, including Lee, the wanderer from Chalamet.
“Call Me By Your Name”
©Sony Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Besides being the co-lead with Armie Hammer in “Call Me by Your Name”, Chalamet also thrived in “Beautiful Boy” (second to Steve Carell). In “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” (both for Greta Gerwig), her impact exceeded her screen time. ‘The French Dispatch’ was a set and Woody Allen’s ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ was barely released in the US
As “Dune” protagonist Paul Atreides, Chalamet was the unapologetic lead in a movie that grossed $400 million worldwide. However, his significant contributions to the film’s success were matched by massive interest in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of a beloved science fiction novel. (The sequel is now in production.)
In total, it’s four $100 million Chalamet films, three of which are helmed by other actors. At this point in his career, DiCaprio had three $100 million movies in the lead (two by adjusting). One, of course, was “Titanic,” the highest-grossing movie of the past 40 years ($1.2 billion adjusted). Before that, he made many small films similar to Chalamet’s, including “This Boys Life”, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, “The Basketball Diaries”, and “Total Eclipse”, all with varying degrees of success.
“Romeo + Juliet”
20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
DiCaprio’s breakout was Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 “Romeo + Juliet” opposite Claire Danes, who heralded it as a major commercial draw. “Titanic” followed, with “The Man in the Iron Mask” released two weeks before “Titanic” won the Oscars. “Mask” was panned by critics, but DiCaprio’s attraction meant he earned (adjusted) over $400 million worldwide.
It was DiCaprio at 24, and it’s a phenomenon rarely seen before or after. It is much more difficult, if not impossible, to do today. Neither actor has appeared in a comic book franchise or sequel (apart from DiCaprio’s live-action debut “Critters 3” and Chalamet’s “Dune 2”), but that’s now what drives most box office success. In other words: adjusted for inflation, the budget of “Mask” was 65 million dollars. When was the last time we saw a one-time gross of $65 million nearly seven times its budget?
Domestic expectations for “Bones and All” are $20 million at the high end (and considerably more overseas), followed by a wholesome, Chalamet-focused afterlife. However, the biggest tests for the actor will come next year with ‘Wonka’, from ‘Paddington’ director Paul King next Christmas, as well as ‘Dune 2’. Chalamet’s career was boosted by social media in a way that was impossible for Di Caprio – but in the 21st century, Chalamet’s 18 million Instagram followers don’t necessarily translate to box office dominance.
Not that becoming the world’s biggest movie star was ever easy, but 1997 offered fewer obstacles. Eight of the top 10 movies of the year were originals, in a variety of genres, including comedies (“Liar, Liar”), dramas (“Good Will Hunting,” which launched Matt Damon and Ben Affleck), high-end (“Air Force One”, “Face/Off”) and hybrid (“Men in Black”) actors.
“Good Will Hunting” grossed over $330 million on a budget of $19 million (all figures adjusted). Today, huge success means a franchise, period. The demands of bending to the formula make it harder for idiosyncratic talents like Chalamet to succeed at DiCaprio’s level.
There are other ways to define success, of course. Can he conform to the idea of an actor as a “brand” while making interesting and quirky films? With box office trends beyond his control, that’s Chalamet’s real challenge.
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