AMC theaters pay tribute to Gene Wilder with ‘Willy Wonka,’ ‘Blazing Saddles’ showings

This isn’t pure imagination: “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Blazing Saddles” are making their way back to the big screen. AMC theaters will show the two films to pay tribute to their late star, Gene Wilder.

The theater chain and Warner Bros. distribution will bring the iconic Wilder films to 55 of AMC’s 386 locations nationwide Saturday and Sunday to honor the “life and incredible career” of the actor and writer, AMC said in a statement on Thursday.

“Willy Wonka,” the 1971 confectionery musical in which Wilder played the whimsical candy tycoon, will play at 5 p.m. And “Blazing Saddles,” the 1974 western comedy that marked one of Wilder’s many collaborations with Mel Brooks, will play at 7:30 p.m. at participating locations. In Southern California, the films will screen at AMC Ontario Mills 30, AMC Orange 30 and AMC Burbank.

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Tickets will be sold for the price of a couple of golden ticket-laced Wonka bars — a standard $5 for each film.

Wilder, a two-time Oscar nominee, died Sunday of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Stamford, Conn. He was 83.

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UPDATES:

12:15 p.m.: This story was updated with Los Angeles-area screening locations.

This story was originally published at 11:55 a.m.