Wonka Movie Theatrical Release Announced As 'The Last House' Continues Netflix's Bummer Summer

Netflix just announced it will be sending its animated Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to theaters ahead of its streaming debut. The modern-day revamp of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel will focus on a handful of economically imperiled teens, led by Charlie (Kit Connor, but not playing THAT Charlie), attempting to break into the factory of the recently released-from-prison chocolate mogul (Taika Waititi). It’s another case of Netflix giving one of its high-profile movies a somewhat conventional pre-streaming theatrical window, in this case a 47-day window. However, once again, what stands out is the platform’s chosen release date. Netflix will be releasing this Jared Stern and Elaine Bogan-helmed animated feature on November 5, 2027, the exact same date as Warner Bros.’ animated Melissa McCarthy-starring Margie. So, once again, is this about Netflix helping theaters (and itself) or attempting to kneecap its theatrical rivals?

I’ll assume the former since WB has plenty of time to pick a different date. When I first read the news, I thought the release date was November 6, 2026, meaning Netflix would release a big animated film into theaters on the same day as WB Animation’s must-succeed The Cat in the Hat. I am… glad I double-checked. So, no, this is not quite the same as when Netflix announced, less than two months in advance, that Glass Onion would play theatrically for a week, but specifically on 2022’s already crowded Thanksgiving weekend. That said, the timing of this announcement is intriguing. Simply put, it comes on word that The Last House has nabbed the streamer’s biggest viewership debut so far this summer, with ratings (27.5 million views) that would’ve barely cracked the top five in summers past.