If you sat down to see Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” in December, odds are you were expecting a whimsical origin story led by Timothée Chalamet’s star power. But you may have been surprised to find in the film’s opening moments that Chalamet was singing. Because “Wonka” is a full-on musical with no less than eight elaborate musical numbers — not a second of which was teased in the film’s trailers.
Similarly, Paramount’s new box office hit “Mean Girls” was marketed as a colorful update of Tina Fey’s 2004 comedy when in fact it’s also an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, a bona fide singing extravaganza with over 15 numbers.