Studios and exhibitors were shouting, "How sweet it is!" Monday as the latest figures showed a significant surge in ticket sales over the weekend with the opening of Warner Bros.' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and New Line's Wedding Crashers. Charlie in particular set a number of box-office records. It was the best July opening for any Warner Bros. film in history; the best for an IMAX DMR release ($2.2 million with an average of $33,569 per screen); and a personal best for Johnny Depp, the film's star. Continuing to make a big splash in limited release was Warner Independent's March of the Penguins, which grossed $1.5 million in just 132 theaters. It is expected to widen to about 600 theaters on Friday. Overall, the box office was up 7 percent from the comparable week a year ago, with they top 12 films garnering $151.2 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Warner Bros., $56,178,450, (New); 2. Wedding Crashers, New Line, $33,900,720, (New); 3. Fantastic Four, 20th Century Fox, $22,783,303, 2 Wks. ($100,195,795); 4. War of the Worlds, Paramount, $15,244,749, 3 Wks. ($192,435,922); 5. Batman Begins, Warner Bros., $6,035,300, 5 Wks. ($183,140,850); 6. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, 20th Century Fox, $5,234,822, 6 Wks. ($168,276,570); 7. Dark Water, Disney, $4,609,754, 2 Wks. ($18,885,278); 8. Herbie: Fully Loaded, Disney, $3,619,074, 4 Wks. ($55,966,221); 9. Bewitched, Sony, $2,556,432, 4 Wks. ($57,026,688); 10. Madagascar, DreamWorks, $2,308,169, 8 Wks. ($184,083,054).

Oliver Stone's Alexander, which took a drubbing from audiences and critics when it was released theatrically, has undergone a major reedit for its DVD release, scheduled for Aug. 2, the Los Angeles Times observed today (Tuesday). "I'm not running away from the original, which I loved, but the derision was really devastating," Stone told the newspaper. "Fortunately, films are now like paintings, permitting for several drafts." He added: "Directors don't get paid for working on DVDs - for us, it's a matter of pride."

Despite numerous published commentaries of late about how movie theater ads are driving away patrons, exhibitors maintain that they have received few complaints from the public about them and that many moviegoers actually like them. Pam Blase, a spokeswoman for AMC Entertainment, which operates the country's second-largest movie chain, told the Houston Chronicle that the chain receives one complaint for every 600,000 guests. Terrell Falk of Cinemark USA, the nation's third-largest chain, added that recent research concluded that filmgoers regard ads as "just part of the experience." His remarks were echoed by Jim Kozak, editor-in-chief of In Focus, the magazine of the National Association of Theater Owners. "When [patrons] get there early to get a really good seat, they like to have something to keep them busy, something to do besides talk to the person they came with."

Theaters are increasingly being used as places of worship on Sundays, the Washington Times reported Monday. In an interview with the newspaper, Tom Galley of National CineMedia, owned by the AMC and Regal theater chains, observed that "churches are very expensive to build" and that it costs only about $2,000 per month to hold church services in a local theater. One church in Gaithersburg boasts a website, ilovethischurch.com, a live band on Sundays, movie clips, skits, and refreshments. Pastor Darin Brown said the theater "feels less churchy [and] less traditional. ... It feels like a kind of Christianity where you'd like to get comfortable and invite your friends." Bill Craig, pastor of a theater/church in Frederick, added that some people stumble in on Sundays "expecting to see a movie and end up staying for church. There's the smell of popcorn, and there's no hint that this could be a church other than the people there demonstrating God's love."

Washington state's film office has been given a new, two-year lease on life but will have to demonstrate how it has lured significant film business to the state if it is to last beyond 2007. Hal Spencer of the state's Office of Financial Management told the Everett Herald that the film office has not been able to provide data to show a connection between their work and the decision of filmmakers to shoot in Washington. "There was a feeling that the whole effort is an exercise in wheel spinning." The office was allocated $822,000 for the next two years but must compete against other states and countries that offer significant tax incentives to movie producers. Washington has no such incentives. Washington State Film Office director Suzy Kellett told the Herald: "It is clear now that the industry is shopping savings, not locations. ... What we need is that major incentive."

The famed Motown songwriting team of Holland, Dozier and Holland has been assigned the task of writing the music for the Broadway musical version of the 1996 movie The First Wives Club, syndicated columnist Liz Smith reported today (Tuesday). According to Smith, producer Paul Lambert and his business partner Jonas Neilson have also requested that the songwriting team -- Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland -- allow the use of some of their past hits to be used "when appropriate" in the production.

Actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, a formidable presence on stage, screen and television for well over a half century, died Sunday in New York at the age of 91. She had waged a long battle against Alzheimer's disease. Fitzgerald was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in the 1939 movie Wuthering Heights and received an Emmy nomination for a guest appearance on The Golden Girls in 1989.

Stepping up its presence on the Internet and grabbing a young demo to boot, News Corp has announced that it will acquire the 47-percent stake in Intermix Media that it does not already own for about $580 million. Intermix is the parent company of the popular socializing website MySpace.com and the entertainment portal Grab.com as well as some 28 other websites. The properties are expected to be folded into Fox Interactive Media (FIM), the new News Corp division announced only days ago by company chairman Rupert Murdoch. Noting that MySpace.com attracts a huge crowd of young users, News Corp President Peter Chernin told the Los Angeles Times: "We thought there was a real opportunity to jump-start our entertainment efforts on those demographics." In a separate interview with the online edition of Red Herring magazine, FIM president Ross Levinsohn said that the acquisition "scales us up in a big way. They bring assets and complementary technology that we don't have." He also appeared to underline Murdoch's recent forecast that the news, TV, and Internet media will eventually achieve convergence, saying, "In the future, there may be opportunities for people who have sites on MySpace.com to become Fox TV personalities, American Idol contenders, or even Fox News bloggers."

Advertisers appear to be increasing their spending on the Internet at the expense of television, according to an analysis by ZenithOptimedia Group and reported Monday by MediaPost. According to the report, worldwide ad spending for television will decline $2.3 billion to $148.2 billion in 2005 and represent 37.3 percent of total ad spending, down from a peak of 38 percent. The report forecast further declines in 2006 and 2007. It attributed the recent decline to "brittle consumer confidence and ad migration to the Internet."

TiVo, the bane of advertisers since it allows TV viewers to skip commercials, is planning to introduce a new feature that may induce them to watch. On Monday, it said that persons attempting to fast-forward through a commercial will see an ID tag about the product being advertised. If they're interested in knowing more about the product, they will have the option of watching a "long form" ad with more information (referred to as "a call to action"). General Motors and The WB will be the first to employ the format. David Courtney, TiVo vice president and CFO said in a statement, "Companies today are spending an estimated $60 billion a year on broadcast advertising. Ours is the only DVR to effectively enhance traditional TV advertising via a branding and direct response platform."

Apparently not many viewers care a hoot about who will replace Michael Hutchence as the frontman of the Australian band INXS. The reality show Rock Star: INXS, was the lowest-rated show in the CBS lineup Monday night, despite the fact that every other show was a rerun. Rock Star scored a 3.9 rating and a 6 share, a precipitous drop from the 6.3/10 garnered by its lead-in, Two and a Half Men. Nevertheless, CBS remained well ahead of its rivals on Sunday averaging a 5.6/9 versus a 3.9/7 for both NBC and Fox, which tied for second with a 3.9/7 and ABC with a 3.6/6.

CBS has signed a $150-million deal with the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to continue to air the Grammy Awards for five more years after its current contract expires next year. In a statement, Neil Portnow, president of the recording academy, indicated that the deal calls for additional music specials on the network during the term of the contract, but he did not spell out what sort of specials were contemplated. The next Grammy Awards telecast is due to air on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2006.

ABC's Who Wants to Be a Millionaire will be returning for a new season with "Million-Dollar Movie Week" next February and is joining up with online DVD renter Netflix to find contestants in five cities. Participants in the auditions, to be held next week in San Diego, Houston and Minneapolis and the following week in Chicago and Miami, will have the opportunity to win free Netflix memberships and other merchandise. Details of the auditions have been posted at www.millionairetv.com. In a statement, Millionaire exec producer Michael Davies said, "In Netflix we've found a creative marketing partner that will help us expand our outreach beyond our already devoted audience."