Timothée Chalamet has quickly become one of the most popular actors working in Hollywood. After making a splash in movies like Lady Bird (2017) and Call Me By Your Name (2017), Chalamet’s stardom reached new heights in the 2020s with several major, well-received releases. The actor appeared in The French Dispatch (2021) and Don’t Look Up (2021), but it was the first Dune (2021) that helped to establish Chalamet as a viable leading man.
This was proven true with the release of Wonka in 2023, which saw Chalamet playing the titular chocolatier in a movie that found considerable success with audiences. It was further established with Denis Villeneuve’s acclaimed Dune: Part Two in early 2024, which exceeded the first both critically and commercially. Chalamet’s next high-profile project wasn’t as epic in stature as his Villeneuve collaborations, but the film did earn an impressive eight nominations at the 2024 Oscars.
A Complete Unknown Dominates Streaming
The Timothée Chalamet Movie Finds Redemption After Its Oscars Losses
A Complete Unknown is topping a new streaming chart after walking away empty-handed at the Oscars. Directed by James Mangold, the 2024 film features Chalamet starring as legendary folk singer Bob Dylan, with the story charting the musician’s journey to one legendary performance in the 1960s. The A Complete Unknown cast includes Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Elle Fanning as Sylvie Russo, Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, and Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash. The film earned positive reviews and was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Director.
Now, after not finding any success at the Oscars, new data from Reelgood reveals that A Complete Unknown ranks as the most popular movie on streaming in the U.S. for the week of March 27 – April 2. When looking at both movies and TV shows, the biopic comes in second place, losing only to Adolescence on Netflix. On the movies chart, A Complete Unknown, which is available to stream on Hulu, beats titles like Holland (2025), Anora (2024), The Life List (2025), and Wicked (2024). Check out the full top 10 list below:
What This Means For A Complete Unknown
The Film’s Reception Explained
Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan recording a song in the studio in A Complete Unknown
Though it’s not completely surprising to see A Complete Unknown make the Reelgood chart given it only just released on streaming on March 27, its top positions on both lists speak to the movie’s wide audience appeal and Chalamet’s star power. The film was also met with positive reviews and has likely benefited from positive word of mouth. In her A Complete Unknown review for ScreenRant, Mae Abdulbaki goes against the grain somewhat with a lukewarm 6 out of 10 score, but praises the movie’s impressive musical sequences:
Where A Complete Unknown soars is during the scenes where music and performance take center stage. This is also where Chalamet’s Dylan comes alive most, as though awakened from some hazy spell. His music is the string that holds everything together and we get to see more emotion poured into the film that doesn’t exist elsewhere.
Made on an estimated budget of $65 million, A Complete Unknown may have been looking at a break-even point of $130 million using the standard Hollywood rule-of-thumb. At $136.8 million grossed worldwide, the biopic just crept past this figure, but, given its Oscars attention, it’s probably also been a hit on VOD. In all, A Complete Unknown has still been a success despite its losses at the Oscars, and its latest streaming performance reinforces this.
A Complete Unknown enjoys a strong 82% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes but a glowing 95% Popcornmeter score from audiences.
For Chalamet, A Complete Unknown‘s failure to win any Oscars could actually make him more likely to win in future years. The film’s success on streaming speaks to how generally well-liked the movie and how well-liked Chalamet himself is, and it’s possible that Academy members feel the same way. Chalamet is clearly ambitious, as evidenced by his victory speech at the 2024 SAG Awards in which he revealed that he is “in pursuit of greatness,” meaning he will likely be taking on more awards-worthy roles in the future.
Our Take On A Complete Unknown’s Streaming Dominance
Chalamet’s Real Test Is Still To Come
Bob Dylan looks upset while onstage in A Complete Unknown
The musical biopic genre continues to experience success under the right circumstances. Though some feel by-the-numbers or safe, like Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), while others fail completely to capture the essence of their subject, like the panned Back to Black (2024), there is still audience interest in seeing origin stories for their favorite bands and singers. A Complete Unknown is a very traditional biopic in terms of its storytelling and structure, but Chalamet is stunning in the lead role, and, despite the movie’s familiarity, it still packs an emotional punch.
A Complete Unknown‘s streaming success is a promising sign for Chalamet, who has Dune: Part Three on the horizon. Perhaps the biggest test for Chalamet, however, will be Marty Supreme, a movie inspired by real-life ping-pong champion Marty Reisman that features the biggest budget in A24’s history. Unlike A Complete Unknown,Dune, and Wonka, which all benefited from being based on existing IP in various forms, Marty Supreme is counting on Chalamet himself to be the primary audience draw, making it a crucial film for the actor’s career.
