Wonka, Warner Bros.' family-friendly hit, is headed for streaming, and sooner than some audiences may expect.
Starring Timothée Chalamet as the young Willy Wonka, the whimsical musical arrived in theaters just in time for the holidays and hit a sweet spot with critics and audiences alike.
Now more than a month after the film's theatrical debut, Warner Bros. UK has revealed when Wonka becomes available for audiences to revisit at home.
Wonka's Streaming Release Date Revealed
According to the official Warner Bros. UK account on X (formerly Twitter), Wonka's home release date is imminent as the film will be available to buy or rent as soon as Monday, January 22.
For reference, the musical was released in the UK on December 8 and then in the United States on December 15.
This puts the gap between Wonka's home release and its theatrical debut at 45 days, which is slightly shorter than Barbie's 53-day exclusivity with theaters.
While Chalamet's chocolatier was expected to steer clear of online streaming for a little while longer, its window wasn't nearly as short as some other 2023 Warner Bros. movies.
For comparison, here are the release timelines of Warner Bros.' other recent big-budget movies:
- Shazam! Fury of the Gods
- Theatrical: March 17, 2023
- Digital: April 7, 2023 (21 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: May 23, 2023 (67 days after theatrical)
- Evil Dead Rise
- Theatrical: April 21, 2023
- Digital: May 9, 2023 (18 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: June 23, 2023 (63 days after theatrical)
- The Flash
- Theatrical: June 16, 2023
- Digital: July 18, 2023 (33 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: August 25, 2023 (70 days after theatrical)
- Barbie
- Theatrical: July 21, 2023
- Digital: September 12, 2023 (53 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: December 15, 2023 (147 days after theatrical)
- Blue Beetle
- Theatrical: August 18, 2023
- Digital: September 26, 2023 (39 days after theatrical)
- Streaming: November 17, 2023 (91 days after theatrical)
In addition, fellow Warner Bros. December film, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, also becomes available for rent and purchase on Tuesday, January 23, making for a swift 31-day turnaround between its theatrical debut and online arrival.
When Will Wonka Stream on Max?
Now that the holiday season has passed, and since Wonka was largely viewed as 2023's December movie, it only makes sense for the studio to make the film available to rent or purchase and hopefully capitalize on audiences eager to revisit it at home.
It's also worth noting that Warner Bros. already has several movies playing in theaters, including Aquaman 2, One Life, The Boys in the Boat, and The Color Purple - the last of which also happens to be a musical.
The question now is when Wonka will become available for streaming on Max and if its box office performance will make for a long wait.
Wonka will be available for online streaming on Monday, January 22.
