“Wonka” debuted with $39 million in box office sales in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend.

Like the “Paddington” movies, “Wonka” was dreamt up by Paul King, a lifetime Roald Dahl fan and a writer and director whom his collaborators somewhat universally agree may actually be Paddington in a human costume.

Insiders can see it before it hits theaters December 15.

This week’s new entertainment releases include an album from Ed Sheeran centered on his relationships, a spinoff of “The Bachelor” starring a 72-year-old widower and Wes Anderson returns for a second time this year with “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

Publisher Penguin Random House says it will publish “classic” unexpurgated versions of Roald Dahl’s children’s novels, after criticism of cuts and rewrites intended to make the books suitable for modern readers.

Critics are accusing the British publisher of Roald Dahl’s classic children’s books of censorship after it removed colorful language from works such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda” to make them more acceptable to modern readers.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” held the box-office crown for the fourth straight weekend with $17.6 million.

After a pared down, pandemic-affected edition in 2021, the BFI London Film Festival is back in full swing.

Actor Damian Lewis and crime writer Ian Rankin are among hundreds of Britons honored by Queen Elizabeth II as she celebrates 70 years on the throne.

Sketches by Dr. Seuss that have never been published will see the light of day in a series of books being written and illustrated by a diverse group of up-and-coming authors and artists.

Netflix says it has bought the works of Roald Dahl, the late British author of celebrated children’s books such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”.

Timothée Chalamet will play Willy Wonka in a musical based on the early life of the eccentric chocolatier.

(AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Yes, 2020 may seem like a complete fail with all the constant bad news and tragic moments. It’s been filled with gloom and doom(scrolling), but some celebrities and those inspired by them have tried to brighten a bleak year. He reassigned his 10 seamstresses in New York to produce thousands daily for health care workers on the frontlines. The singer and husband Emilio Estefan's restaurant Estefan Kitchen served up homemade meals for health care workers in Miami. The challenge coordinated offers by celebrities and athletes to raise funds to feed those in need during the pandemic.

The Robert Zemeckis adaptation of “Roald Dahl’s The Witches” has found a new home on HBO Max this month just in time for Halloween. Warner Bros. said Friday that “The Witches” will debut on the subscription streaming service, owned by parent company WarnerMedia, on Oct. 22. Dahl’s 1983 novel about an orphaned boy who discovers a coven of witches that hate children was previously adapted for the big screen in 1990 by director Nicolas Roeg. It starred Angelica Huston, Mai Zetterling and Rowan Atkinson and was a box office flop, despite its critical acclaim. This new version has actor Jahzir Bruno playing the boy who must try to stop the witches from turning the world's children into mice.