"Wonka" sets out to warm moviegoers' hearts with a charming origin story about the renowned candyman from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," kicking off the Christmas season at the box office.
The musical, produced by Warner Bros. and Harry Potter series producer David Heyman, began its North American run late Thursday with a promising $3.5 million in preview grosses from 3,400 theaters (family films aren't always known for having large preview grosses). "Wonka" matched the opening weekend gross of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which was $35 million domestically.
"Wonka" is expected to open in the $35 million to $40 million range as well. It will be available in 4,203 venues by Friday, including Imax and all other premium large formats.
Hugh Grant, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Calah Lane, Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas, Mathew Baynton, Sally Hawkins, Rowan Atkinson, Natasha Rothwell, Rich Fulcher, Rakhee Thakrar, Tom Davis, and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith star in the film, which is directed by Paul King of Paddington fame and stars Timothée Chalamet as a young Willy Wonka.
"Wonka" intends to sing loudly throughout the holidays. It will have to compete with Christmas gift-buying and other holiday preparations for consumer attention this weekend and next, but things will calm down once the presents are unpacked. "Wonka" will also benefit from increased weekday numbers as children begin to leave school.
Unless it's a film like "Avatar" or "Star Wars," any Hollywood company releasing a film around Christmas should expect a marathon, not a sprint.
On the marquee, two other Warner Bros. releases will compete: "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" (Dec. 22) and "The Color Purple" (Dec. 25), which is also a musical. On the family front, Universal and Illumination will release "Migration" on December 22nd.
"Wonka" aims to break the jinx of the musical genre and replicate the success of films like the Hugh Jackman-led "The Greatest Showman on Earth," which debuted to modest numbers on Christmas but then took off and collected a fortune.
"Wonka" is one of the first Hollywood films to be released since the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike. Warner Bros. and the directors sighed a great sigh of relief when they realized they could send Chalamet, who is quickly becoming a bona fide movie star, to promote and publicize the PG-rated film. Young girls are especially smitten with the young actor, who will next be seen in "Dune: Part Two," which Warner Bros. and Legendary delayed until next March so that Chalamet and co-star Zendaya could do press.