Tim Burton’s Fantasy Remake Slammed As An “Insult” By Original Star Is Back & Crushing Global Streaming Charts
One of Tim Burton's fantasy films from more than 20 years ago surges up the global streaming charts right now.
The filmmaker has directed and produced an array of unique and memorable projects over the years, including Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. He's even remade and reimagined iconic films and shows, like Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows and Dumbo, to varying degrees of success.
Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Is A Sweet New Treat On Netflix
One of those remakes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is crushing it on Netflix's global Top 10 streaming chart, as of August 10. The film is currently sitting at No. 7, behind The Last House, 72 Hours, Elize: Shadows of a Woman, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Dragon Wars: D-War. Rounding out the rest of the Top 10 are Max, Fast Charlie and Main Vaapas Aaunga.
After Roald Dahl published Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1964, Mel Stuart brought the story to life on the big screen with the release of 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, with Gene Wilder playing the titular Willy Wonka, a role that earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. The movie earned positive reviews and holds an 84% critic score and an 87% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Over three decades later, Burton remade the iconic story with his own quirky flair and filmmaking style from a script by John August. The result was 2005's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which saw Johnny Depp succeed Wilder as Willy Wonka. Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Missi Pyle, Deep Roy, Christopher Lee and AnnaSophia Robb also starred in the remake, which went on to gross $474.9 million at the box office.
During awards season, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was nominated for Best Costume Design at the Oscars, while Depp was up for Best Actor – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes. Freddie Highmore, as Charlie Bucket, won Best Young Actor at the Critics' Choice Awards.
Burton’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory Remake Really Divided Fans
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory may have been a financial hit and earned positive reviews from critics with a Certified Fresh score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes (virtually the same as the original movie), but reactions from general moviegoers weren't as kind. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes currently sits at 51%.
|
Willy Wonka Film Franchise |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory |
84% |
87% |
|
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory |
83% |
51% |
One person who criticized Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was none other than Wilder, the original Willy Wonka actor. While he had positive remarks about Depp's portrayal of the character he originated, Wilder found the adaptation overall to be an "insult" to the legacy that he helped build and blamed Burton himself.
Burton's film surging up the streaming charts right now comes at the perfect time. Netflix is debuting the competition series Wonka's The Golden Ticket on September 23 and developing an animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory remake that will be released in 2027. Dahl has also been in the spotlight thanks to the play Giant with John Lithgow.