Willy Wonka has charted lots of ear candy on Billboard’s surveys.
For over half a century, songs that stemmed from Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory have sweetened Billboard surveys, encompassing three hit films, a Broadway musical and more.
The franchise’s latest entry is Wonka, the movie that chronicles the backstory of how the famed chocolatier’s career began. Its companion album debuts at No. 18 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart (dated Jan. 6), with 4,000 equivalent album units, up 29%, Dec. 22-28, according to Luminate.
One of the set’s signature songs, “Pure Imagination,” sung by Wonka’s namesake star Timothée Chalamet, hit No. 27 two weeks earlier on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 chart.
The film’s soundtrack features new songs performed by Chalamet and fellow cast members, including such cuts central to the movie’s storyline as “A Hatful of Dreams,” ballad “For a Moment,” a duet with co-star Calah Lane, “You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like This,” and “A World of Your Own.” Many were written by Simon Farnaby, Neil Hannon and Wonka director Paul King, while Joby Talbot wrote the film’s original score.
“A World of Your Own,” notably, has been submitted for contention for best original song at the 96th Academy Awards. (Nominations will be announced Jan. 24, with the Oscars to be held March 10.)
Fellow Wonka stars, including Hugh Grant and Keegan-Michael Key, also perform tracks in the film and on its soundtrack.
Wonka, meanwhile, is off to a scrumdiddlyumptious start at the box office, already closing in on reported grosses of $150 million domestically and $250 million internationally since it premiered Dec. 15.
As the new movie adds another chapter of chart (ready, set) action, here’s a look at how Willy Wonka has long been choc-ful of success on Billboard’s charts.
The soundtrack to the Gene Wilder-starring movie hit No. 4 on Billboard’s Soundtracks chart – in September 2016, sparked by the release of its 45th-anniversary edition. The film introduced such franchise classics as “Pure Imagination,” sung by Wilder, “(I’ve Got A) Golden Ticket” and “Oompa Loompa” admonishments.
Also among the movie’s venerable songs, written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley: “The Candy Man,” performed in the film and on its soundtrack by actor Aubrey Woods. Covered by Sammy Davis Jr., the song soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in June 1972, following its three-week reign on Adult Contemporary that June.
German-born Michael Bollner, who played gluttonous Augustus Gloop in the film, which Mel Stuart directed, reflected to Billboard about his role at a 2011 Chiller Theatre Expo 40th-anniversary cast reunion. “The movie itself is not so famous in Germany, but the songs are very famous,” he mused. “Everybody knows the songs – it’s crazy.”
He added, “I still love the chocolate.”
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005
The soundtrack to the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring movie hit No. 3 on the Soundtracks chart and No. 76 on the Billboard 200 in August 2005. The set was helmed by Danny Elfman and includes songs named after the movie’s characters, including Wonka, Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt and Mike Teavee.
By then, Willy Wonka lore had infused pop culture for over 30 years – Futurama, Family Guy and South Park, among other TV shows, have paid tribute to songs from the franchise, while the band Veruca Salt tallied two top 10s on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart in the ‘90s: “Seether” and “Volcano Girls.” On the opening night of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Tour in April 2022, she covered “Seether.” “This made our day, @oliviarodrigo,” the band beamed back.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical, 2017
Dahl’s story was adapted as a musical, starting in London in 2013. Sparked by its Broadway premiere in April 2017, the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical original Broadway cast recording hit No. 5 on the Cast Albums chart that July.
Wonka, 2023
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Wonka marks the latest musical franchise to the addition. (Scratch that; reverse it.)
“I didn’t want it to just become a musical where people are singing dialogue to each other for no discernible reason. I felt like it was more like a movie with songs than a musical,” King said ahead of the movie’s premiere.
King added that Chalamet has a “beautiful singing voice,” and that his vocal skills “reminded me of Bing Crosby. There’s quite a range, because [Wonka’s songbook] does go from a couple of bigger, showstopper-y sort of things to moments of real, pure emotion. He can do it all … I’m going to sound like a crazed fan.”
