EXCLUSIVE: How does it feel, Searchlight?
Absolutely great ahead of the Oscars, as James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown is quite known around the world coursing past $100M at the global box office.
The eight-time Oscar nominated movie is now Searchlight Pictures’ No. 6 highest grossing title of all-time at the domestic box office with $69.5M behind Sideways ($71.5M) and it’s expected to strum to the Disney classic label’s fifth best ever in the coming weeks.
In its first weekend, the Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning and Monica Barbaro movie repped Searchlight’s biggest opening ($11.6M 3-day, $23.2M 5-day) since Disney acquired the company, quickly ranking as the second-largest opening in the studio’s history – just behind 2009’s Notorious ($20.4M).
In its second weekend, the film became Searchlight’s highest grossing film domestically since Disney acquired the company in early 2019 – surpassing 2022’s The Menu ($38.5M domestic). A Complete Unknown is heading into its eighth weekend at the domestic box office.
In its opening weekend per Screen Engine/Comscore’s PostTrak, the Chalamet fans came out at 56% female, with overall audiences awarding the Jay Cocks-scripted movie 5 stars with an ‘A’ Cinemascore.
Internationally, as the releases have rolled out during January and February, A Complete Unknown has taken the #1 spot in major territories including the UK (for three weeks straight), Australia and NZ, France and Italy.
Overseas openings will continue during February with major markets – Spain, Brazil, Japan and Germany releasing at the end of February. On Friday, the Berlin Film Festival will host the German premiere of A Complete Unknown in a Special Gala Presentation. The pic lands on digital on Feb. 25.
Mangold’s previous music icon biopic, Walk the Line, about Johnny and June Carter Cash made $119.5M domestic, $186.7M worldwide at the box office back in 2005. The movie was nominated for five Oscars and won Best Actress for Reese Witherspoon.
A Complete Unknown counts four SAG Awards nominations including for Chalamet for lead actor, Barbaro for Female Actor in a Supporting Role, Norton for Male Actor in a Supporting Role, and for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Mangold was nominated for the DGA Awards, his first DGA nod – his Oscar nomination for Best Director marks his first for that category. The film was also nominated for the PGA Awards and WGA Awards for adapted screenplay. The movie notched three Golden Globe noms, three Critics Choice noms and was lauded on the AFI Top Ten list of the year. The pic received the Visionary Tribute Award at the Gotham Awards for both Mangold and Chalamet, the Chairman’s Award for Chalamet from the Palm Springs International Film Awards, and the Trailblazer Award for Mangold at this year’s Sundance. This week it received the Arlington Artist of the Year for Chalamet from Santa Barbara Film Festival, the Virtuosos Award for Barbaro, and the Outstanding Directors of the Year Award for Mangold.