Taglines: Who Gives You the Courage to Face the World?
Based on the New York Times bestseller, WONDER tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman. Born with facial differences that, up until now, have prevented him from going to a mainstream school, Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes when he enters the local fifth grade. As his family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to discover their compassion and acceptance, Auggie’s extraordinary journey will unite them all and prove you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
Wonder is a 2017 American drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Jack Thorne, Steve Conrad, and Stephen Chbosky, based on the 2012 novel of the same name by R.J. Palacio. The film stars Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, and Jacob Tremblay. The film follows a child with Treacher Collins syndrome trying to fit in. Wonder was released in the United States on November 17, 2017, by Lionsgate Films. The film had its world premiere at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles on November 14, 2017.
As of February 1, 2018, Wonder has grossed $130.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $135.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $266.4 million, against a production budget of $20 million. In the United States and Canada, Wonder was released alongside Justice League and The Star and was initially projected to gross around $9 million from 3,096 theaters in its opening weekend. However after grossing $740,000 from Thursday night previews and receiving a large number of group ticket sales, weekend projections were upped to $15 million.
Weekend projections were again increased, this time to $28 million, after the film made $9.4 million on its first day. The film went on to debut to $27.1 million, finishing second at the box office behind Justice League. In its second weekend the film dropped just 17.7%, grossing $22.7 million and finishing third at the box office.
About the Story
August “Auggie” Pullman is a fifth-grade boy living in North River Heights in upper Manhattan. He has a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as “mandibulofacial dysostosis.” Due to numerous (27) surgeries, Auggie had been homeschooled by his mother Isabel, but as Auggie is approaching middle school age, Isabel and Nate decide to enroll him in Beecher Prep, a private school, for the start of middle school. At first, Auggie is ostracized by nearly all the student body, but he is soon befriended by a boy named Jack Will.
During Halloween, Auggie wears an old GhostFace mask and costume because his dog, Daisy, threw up on his Boba Fett costume. Unrecognized, he walks around school knowing he would not get tormented while incognito. As he walks through the door to his homeroom he overhears Jack telling Julian Albans that he was only pretending to be friends with Auggie.
Feeling betrayed, Auggie wants to quit Beecher Prep and go back to homeschooling, but his older sister Olivia, nicknamed “Via,” talks him out of it. Auggie later confides the incident to another friend, a girl named Summer, but swears her to secrecy. When Jack notices that Auggie has become quiet and distant he asks Summer why, but she only gives him the term “Ghost Face” as a clue; Jack is shocked when it suddenly dawns on him that it was Auggie wearing the Ghost Face costume, and thus had overheard everything he said to Julian.
When Julian wants Jack to switch partners to be with him in a science fair project Jack refuses. When Julian asks Jack does he want to work with that “freak,” Jack angrily punches him in the face and a fight ensues between the two, which is soon broken up by Mr. Browne and Ms. Petosa. Jack is suspended for two days, and decides not to get Julian suspended too, knowing it wouldn’t be fair. He later writes an apology letter to Mr. Tushman. Auggie, over winter break, requests Jack’s Minecraft (in the book on Facebook) coordinates, which Jack sends. Jack apologizes to Auggie, and Auggie accepts.
During the rest of the school year, Auggie is repeatedly bullied by Julian and his group; they leave hurtful notes on his desk and tape to his locker their class picture with Auggie photoshopped out. When Mr. Tushman later confronts Julian and his parents using all the notes and the doctored picture as evidence, Julian’s mother proclaims that she had Auggie edited out of the photo to make it look more presentable to her friends at home; she then says that the school should not be inclusive and that Auggie does not belong there. But despite her threats to pull their funding from the school, Tushman suspends Julian for two days. Julian showed remorse to Tushman for his actions to Auggie.
Meanwhile, Via signs up for Drama Club at her high school after her best friend, Miranda, ignores her; in the process, she meets Justin, a friendly boy with whom she forms a close friendship, which later develops into a romantic relationship. Later, Via is selected to be an understudy for the lead role in the school’s production of Our Town, with Justin as the lead actor.
Later on, Isabel and Nate find out that Via’s play is coming around, and Via never told them about it, and they get into a fight with Auggie overhearing everything. Auggie later confronts his mom and his sister, who brush it off. Auggie then accuses them of lying and storms off to his room, and then Daisy starts to whimper. Via then rushes up to Auggie’s room telling him that Daisy is sick. They say goodbye to Isabel who meets Nate at the hospital.
They then return that night without the dog, implying that Daisy died. On the night of the play, Miranda, the lead actress and Via’s former best friend, pretends to fall ill. Via takes her place and gives a performance that earns her a standing ovation. After the play, everyone, including Miranda and Justin, goes home to the Pullmans and eat pizza to celebrate.
Wonder (2017)
Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Julia Roberts, Mark Dozlaw, Danielle Rose Russell, Rukiya Bernard, Jennifer March, Bryce Gheisar, Mandy Patinkin, James A Hughes, Kyle Breitkopf
Screenplay by: Stephen Chbosky, Steve Conrad
Production Design by: Kalina Ivanov
Cinematography by: Don Burgess
Film Editing by: Mark Livolsi
Costume Design by: Monique Prudhomme
Set Decoration by: Shannon Gottlieb
Art Direction by: Kendelle Elliott
Music by: Marcelo Zarvos
MPAA Rating: PG for thematic elements including bullying, and some mild language.
Distributed by: Liosgate Films
Release Date: November 17, 2017
