Warner Bros’ Wonka is hoping to tantalise UK and Ireland cinemagoers this weekend as Paul King’s festive musical opens in 701 locations.
It is one of the widest openings of the year, just behind Disney’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 which debuted in 705 locations and Warner Bros’ fellow title Barbie in 706. Disney’s Indiana Jones & The Dial Of Destiny is still the 2023 record holder with its 746 venue opening, followed by The Little Mermaid (732), Super Mario Bros: The Movie (720) and Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (717).
Wonka stars Timothee Chalamet in the origin story of the titular chocolate maker, written by King and Simon Farnaby and based on the story of Roald Dahl. Previous iterations of the character include the 1971 Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder which grossed $4m worldwide while the Johnny Depp and Tim Burton version, 2005’s Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, opened on £7.8m from 531 sites.
Director King was also behind the Paddington franchise with the original opening in 518 sites in 2014 while its 2017 sequel debuted in 607 for Studiocanal. The films went on to make £38m and £42m, respectively, with a third instalment coming out next year.
Chalamet has proved a successful leading man at the box office before with 2021’s Dune scoring £4.8m from 668 locations. The US actor is joined by a plethora of UK stars including Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Sally Hawkins, Matt Lucas, Tom Davies and Jim Carter.
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Also opening this weekend is Signature Entertainment’s animation The Inseparables in 297 locations. The family film is written by Bob Barlen, Cal Brunker and Joel Cohen - who have writing credits on box office hits Toy Story, Paw Patrol and Garfield - and directed by Jérémie Degruson. It follows a puppet and a stuffed animal who form an unlikely bond on an adventure across New York City.
Universal is opening The Treasure Of Foggy Mountain from US comedy sketch group Please Don’t Destroy in 137 locations. Directed by Paul Briganti, the comedy stars the trio (Martin Herlihy, John Higgins and Ben Marshall - best known for appearing on Saturday Night Live) who go in search of a golden treasure buried in the mountains.
After previewing in 138 locations, Vertigo Releasing is officially opening Poland’s Oscar entry The Peasants in 45 cinemas. The follow-up from the Loving Vincent duo centres around a young woman determined to forge her own path in a late 19th-century Polish village.
Zee Studios is releasing Devashish Makhija’s Joram in 44 venues. The Indian thriller follows a man on the run with his baby daughter after being accused of a crime he didn’t commit. After premiering in Rotterdam at the start of the year, the film has screened at Edinburgh, London, Sydney, Durban and Chicago festivals.
Wim Wenders’ documentary Anselm is opening in 29 cinemas for Curzon. The 3D film explores the life of German painter and sculptor Anselm Kiefer and first premiered in Cannes Special Screening.
Black cinema organisation We Are Parable marks its first distribution with Savanah Leaf’s debut Earth Mama which opens in 10 locations. The coming-of-age drama premiered in Sundance and centres around a pregnant single mother trying to keep her head above water. Leaf recently picked up best debut director at the Bifas last week where We Are Parable also received an honorary special jury prize.
Bulldog Distribution is releasing Laura Citarella’s Trenque Lauquen in three locations. The 260-minute mystery drama will be released in two parts and follows the aftermath of a woman’s disappearance when her friend and boyfriend band together to try and find her. The Argentina-Gerrmany collaboration premiered in Venice Horizons and has screened at festivals including San Sebastian, Ghent and IndieLisboa.
Other releases include Netflix’s Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget; BFI Distribution’s re-release of 1948 classic The Red Shoes; and Irish drama Tarrac for Parkland Entertainment.
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