When Warner Bros. Pictures launched its advance marketing campaign for the musical fantasy film Wonka, approximately six weeks before its release, the expectations for its box-office performance were set very low. The initial box-office projection for the film, which serves as a prequel to the 1971 musical fantasy film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, predicted that Wonka would gross between $20 million and $23 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office.