Entertainment News Roundup: Spielberg brings life-long fandom to reimagined 'West Side Story'; Actor Tom Holland says he will play Fred Astaire in new biopic and more

ODEON, owned by the world's largest cinema chain AMC Entertainment, said the tickets sales for the movie, starring Tom Holland as the friendly neighbourhood hero, was three times that of recently released "James Bond - No Time to Die". Disney's 'Encanto' Leads Another Quiet Weekend at Box Office Without any new releases to pose a threat, Disney's animated musical fable "Encanto" has again notched the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Spielberg brings life-long fandom to reimagined 'West Side Story'

Steven Spielberg has been remaking classic musical "West Side Story" in his head for decades but says that finally taking it on was his riskiest challenge in a career that has spanned 50 years. Half a century after the musical written by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim won 10 Oscars, Spielberg has reimagined the love story set among rival street gangs for a new generation but with the reverence of a true fan.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' advance ticket sales smash records at ODEON

London-based ODEON Cinemas said on Monday it sold over 200,000 advance tickets of Marvel superhero movie "Spider-Man: No Way Home" in the first week, breaking a record held by "Avengers: Endgame" and indicating a good appetite for movie going this festive season despite Omicron concerns. ODEON, owned by the world's largest cinema chain AMC Entertainment, said the tickets sales for the movie, starring Tom Holland as the friendly neighbourhood hero, was three times that of recently released "James Bond - No Time to Die".

Disney's 'Encanto' Leads Another Quiet Weekend at Box Office

Without any new releases to pose a threat, Disney's animated musical fable "Encanto" has again notched the No. 1 spot on domestic box office charts. In its second weekend of release, "Encanto" has collected $12.38 million from 3,980 venues in the U.S. and Canada. That marks a 54% drop from its debut and pushes the film's two-week total to $57.6 million domestically.

Actor Tom Holland says he will play Fred Astaire in new biopic

British actor Tom Holland said he will portray legendary film star Fred Astaire in an upcoming Sony biopic, who is best remembered for dancing and singing with Ginger Rogers in several musicals, including "Top Hat" and "Swing Time". Famed as one of the greatest dancers of all time, Astaire had a seven-decade career in film and on stage in Broadway and the West End.

Oscar winners assemble for climate warning comedy 'Don't Look Up'

Director Adam McKay has assembled an all-star cast brimming with Oscar winners to give a humorous warning about climate change in new movie "Don't Look Up". In the Netflix film, Academy award winners Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio play two astronomers who set out to warn the world of an approaching comet set to destroy the planet. But the message falls on deaf ears, starting with Meryl Streep's President Janie Orlean.

Tearful reunions, music comebacks and pop freedom: 2021 showbiz stories

From the return of cinema's favourite spy to "Friends" reuniting, an array of stories dominated entertainment news headlines this year. Below are some of the biggest stories. * After several delays, the release of James Bond movie "No Time To Die" gave pandemic-hit cinemas a much-needed boost.

Polish opera star's Met performance broadcast live in world movie theaters

Polish opera star Jakub Jozef Orlinski's debut performance at New York City's Metropolitan Opera in "Eurydice" in November was broadcast live in movie theaters across the globe on Saturday. Orlinski, 30, who studied and lived in Manhattan while attending The Juilliard School for the arts, said being in the city as a working performer was a new experience.

Return to tradition: Biden celebrates Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell at Kennedy Center Honors

President Joe Biden celebrated artists including Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell and Lorne Michaels on Sunday at the Kennedy Center Honors, bringing back presidential participation to an annual event skipped by Republican Donald Trump. Singer Justino Díaz and Motown founder Berry Gordy rounded out the group of artists selected by the Kennedy Center for top honors this year at a show that had been upended by politics and the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ghetts, Dave and Little Simz win at Britain's MOBO Awards

Rappers Ghetts, Little Simz and Dave triumphed at Britain's MOBO Awards this year, which returned with their first live show in four years. Held on Sunday night in the British city of Coventry, the MOBOs, which honour Music of Black Origin, saw London-born Dave scoop album of the year for his no.1 record "We’re All Alone In This Together".

(With inputs from agencies.)