10 Movies Everyone Thought Were DOOMED (But Became Massive Hits)

Timothée Chalamet is without doubt one of the most in-demand actors in the business. He's also proven he's capable of leading massive projects like Dune and delivering impressive dramatic work in things like Call Me By Your Name and Beautiful Boy. That being said, fans still weren't fully convinced he had would it took to carry a story about the origin of one of the most iconic characters in movie history, Willy Wonka.

This being a character immortalised by the late, great Gene Wilder, it was impossible not to compare Chalamet's less silly Wonka seen in trailers with the beloved, unhinged performance found in that 1971 classic. It was even called "one of the great miscasting of our time," by some (via The Standard). 

The film's teasers and trailers in general received quite a mixed response, too, suggesting that perhaps Warner Bros. had failed to connect with a wide enough audience to turn a profit with this latest attempt to squeeze money out of the Wonka name.

Those who were intrigued by Hugh Grant's surreal Oompa Loompa headed into theatres, though, and stuck around for the sweet treats, tunes, and Timothée performance that proved his doubters wrong. Sure enough, Wonka became the hot (golden) ticket throughout the 2023 festive period, taking home a massive $634 million on a $125 million budget, despite once looking like a potential (chocolate) bomb just waiting to happen.