Netflix’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ Movie to Hit Theaters

Netflix believes it has another tentpole on its hands with its animated take on “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” starring Taika Waititi as Willy Wonka, so much so that they’re putting the movie in theaters first before it lands on streaming.

But this is not a change in strategy! Really. Truly. It’s just the streamer’s third movie that will hit theaters in an exclusive theatrical window in the span of 12 months.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” will open in theaters next year on November 5, 2027 and then open on Netflix December 22, 2027. That’s on top of two other major titles Netflix is opening theatrically in the next year, the first being David Fincher’s Cliff Booth movie and still-untitled follow-up to “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” starring Brad Pitt, which opens November 25, and followed by “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” from Greta Gerwig. That movie was originally meant to open in the Thanksgiving awards corridor but was pushed to February 12, 2027 to give it a longer IMAX berth. It won’t be available on Netflix until April 2, 2027, so a long window too.

In terms of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” it will be exclusively in theaters for that entire span of over six weeks before launching ahead of Christmas, which is a 48-day window, on par with what Paramount is promising to movie theaters should it merge with Warner Bros. Discovery. Currently, “Charlie” is scheduled to open the same day as another holiday kids’ movie, WB’s “Margie Claus” starring Melissa McCarthy.

Netflix releases a lot of movies, so when it or its executives say this isn’t a change in strategy, it’s a sign that the stuff like “People You Meet on Vacation” or “Remarkably Bright Creatures” are still streaming plays, even if some of them get an awards season eligibility run in theaters. But these are now three tentpoles getting sizable windows, all in a relatively short span, so we can’t pretend that this isn’t a little unprecedented for Netflix.

The streamer is also leaving the door open to do other theatrical events with some of its most popular titles, like it did with the “KPop Demon Hunters Singalong” or the “Stranger Things: The Finale” for a single, New Years Eve special engagement. “KPop” even happened after that movie was already a bona fide mega hit, but it still did some good business.

Our read on it all is that no, this is not a change in strategy, Netflix is still true to its word, but it’s a signal to major filmmakers Netflix wants to work with that it has softened on the idea of theaters and sees the value in it when the opportunity presents itself. We don’t think Chris Nolan is suddenly going to jump ship and work with Netflix for his next movie, but Gerwig and Fincher won’t be the last auteurs who push for more.

“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” stars Kit Connor and Waititi, and the streamer also announced a voice cast that now includes Nicola Coughlan, Charithra Chandran, Samson Kayo, Christopher Chung, with Kate Winslet, and Helena Bonham Carter. Jared Stern (“The LEGO Batman Movie,” “Green Eggs and Ham”) and Elaine Bogan (“Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia,” “Spirit Untamed”) are directing the film. Sony Pictures Entertainment is handling the international rollout of the film.

Here’s the official synopsis based on Roald Dahl’s classic: “Willy Wonka (Waititi) has spent the years since the Golden Ticket contest behind bars (not the chocolate kind) for the crime of turning a child into a blueberry. Having served his time, Wonka returns to his factory determined to add a little sweetness to a bitter world. But one thing stands in his way: teenager Charlie Paley (Connor) and his friends. Facing eviction, this next generation of ‘rotten’ kids plot to break into the factory, nab a priceless Wonka Bar, and save their homes. But like many before them who enter the fantastical world of the factory, these kids are in for a bit more than they can chew.”