‘Wonka’ Marks the Start of a Critical Holiday Box Office for Warner Bros.

The holiday box office starts warming up this weekend with the release of “Wonka,” which stars Timothée Chalamet as a young version of Roald Dahl’s famous candyman and marks the start of a critical winter for Warner Bros.

While there have been some modest horror-film successes with “The Nun II” and “Evil Dead Rise,” Warner Bros.’ 2023 has been defined by two major events: the studio record-breaking success of “Barbie” and the ignominious end of the DC Extended Universe with three box office bombs. Now, theaters will turn to Warner to drive moviegoer turnout this Christmas with not only “Wonka,” but with “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” and “The Color Purple.”