Fifty years after its release, it seems hard to believe that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the classic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” actually did not perform well at the box office during its initial run, only slowly becoming a family favorite over time. In fact, it was only due to repeated showings at Thanksgiving that the Gene Wilder-vehicle became such a timeless classic, to the point that it got a big budget remake with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka, and is now getting a prequel with Timothee Chalamet.
The movie started life as a feature-length candy advertisement and faced a range of production challenges, and the final product was hated by the author himself! So how did the film go from being a flop to a classic? Lick some wallpaper and find out “WTF Happened to WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY!”
WTF Happened To This Movie? – The JoBlo series that looks at troubled productions, curious creative decisions, box-office failures, surprising successes, and cult favorites!