A Complete Unknown Box Office Lands On Major All-Time Domestic Chart In Just One Week

A Complete Unknown has landed on a major box office chart by the end of its first full week in theaters. The movie, which was directed by Walk the Line‘s James Mangold, follows iconic musician Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) during the early years of his career in the 1960s. The Complete Unknown release kicked off on Christmas Day, 2024, with an $11.6 million debut seeing it land at No. 6 on the chart as the second-best new release of the weekend behind Robert Eggers’ horror remake Nosferatu.

Per The Numbers, A Complete Unknown has reached a cumulative domestic box office total of $25.68 million as of Monday, December 30. This means that it has taken the movie less than a week to land on the chart of the Top 100 highest-grossing movies based on a factual book or article at the domestic box office. With its total as of Monday, it has landed at No. 98 on the chart, surpassing the domestic grosses of Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World ($25.1 million) and the Mark Wahlberg-led inspirational dog movie Arthur the King ($25 million).

What This Means For A Complete Unknown

The Bob Dylan Biopic Could Keep Climbing

The Complete Unknown true story is likely what is helping drive audience interest in the movie, but it is already excelling even among similar movies. As it approaches its second weekend in theaters, it is entirely possible that the movie willhit a total of more than $30 million by Sunday, even if it drops 60% in its second weekend. This would see it climb to No. 89 on the chart by the end of just 10 days in theaters. Below, see the movies that are currently above it on the chart:

However, it remains to be seen how high the movie can climb up the chart. The No. 1 title is Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, which grossed $350.1 million after debuting with a $58.8 million weekend in 2014. Although holiday season releases tend to have slow-and-steady box office growth, it seems unlikely that the Bob Dylan biopic has the same kind of blockbuster appeal. However, if it has the same level of growth as Walk the Line, which opened with $22.3 million, it could eventually hit $62.2 million overall, making it No. 45 on the chart, above 2016’s Miracles from Heaven.

Our Take On A Complete Unknown’s Chart Success

It Could Become A Long-Term Smash

One thing that will likely help the movie soar is the raft of glowing A Complete Unknown reviews, which have earned it a Certified Fresh 78% Rotten Tomatoes score with a Verified Hot 96% audience score, compared to Walk the Line‘s 83% from critics and 90% from audiences. Strong word of mouth, combined with the fact that very few tentpole releases are due in theaters over the coming weeks, could help the movie exceed expectations as it continues its domestic run.

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Source: The Numbers

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A Complete Unknown is a biographical movie that follows a young Bob Dylan as he integrates with New York and catches the eye of the folk singers in the area, eventually propelling him into stardom.

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Runtime

140 minutes

Main Genre

Biography

Cast

Timothée Chalamet
, Edward Norton
, Elle Fanning
, Monica Barbaro
, Nick Offerman
, Boyd Holbrook
, P.J. Byrne
, Scoot McNairy
, Dan Fogler
, Will Harrison
, Charlie Tahan
, Jon Gennari
, Norbert Leo Butz

Character(s)

Bob Dylan
, Pete Seeger
, Sylvie Russo
, Joan Baez
, Alan Lomax
, Johnny Cash
, Harold Levanthal
, Woody Guthrie
, Albert Grossman
, Bob Neuwirth
, Al Kooper
, Stage Manager

Studio(s)

Searchlight Pictures
, The Picture Company
, Automatik Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Searchlight Pictures

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