Sweet success for Charlie at box office
The remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has shot to the top of the UK box office charts on its opening weekend.
It has taken almost £8m at the box office since opening on Friday, according to figures out today.
Tim Burton’s remake earned £7.97m (€11.6m) in the UK and Ireland, according to Nielsen EDI figures.
But the Roald Dahl adaptation, starring Johnny Depp as eccentric chocolate maker Willy Wonka, has been knocked off the top slot in the US.
It topped the US box office on its opening weekend two weeks ago.
The remake, which also stars 13-year-old English actor Freddie Highmore as gold-ticket winner Charlie Bucket, was replaced at the top this weekend by Wedding Crashers.
The comedy stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as womanisers who sneak into weddings to try their luck at meeting up with women.
Critics have praised former Edward Scissorhands actor Depp for his role as the frock-coated Willy Wonka.
The actor has denied his performance is based on singer Michael Jackson.
The film, which comes 34 years after Gene Wilder starred in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is credited with going back to the darker roots of the book.
