Following the death of legendary comic actor Gene Wilder, exhibitors — spurred by fan demand — phoned up Warner Bros and requested prints of the 1974 raunchy comedy Blazing Saddles and the beloved 1971 family film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Willy Wonka will be at 200 locations, with Blazing Saddles galloping into another 60 across several chains this weekend.
Of that count, AMC will be playing both titles at 55 of its U.S. venues on Saturday and Sunday with Willy Wonka starting at 5 PM and Blazing Saddles at 7:30 PM. Tickets for both films at AMC venues are priced at $5 each. Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles was a massive hit in its day, making an estimated $120M at the domestic B.O. during its lifetime run. The Western spoof arguably is Wilder’s highest-grossing title, followed by the Sideny Poitier-directed Stir Crazy ($101.3M, 1980) and Brooks’ Young Frankenstein ($86.3M, 1974).
