Michael Bond

The creator of one of the world's favourite ursine characters has passed away at the age of 91 this week. Michael Bond CBE was at his home at the time, and he had been ill for a short time - though the exact cause of his death has yet to be disclosed.

Michael Bond at the 'Paddington' premiere

Today we say goodbye to the man behind the children's book character Paddington Bear; a Peruvian bear who wears a duffle coat and wellington boots and was transformed into CGI for the 2014 live action film 'Paddington', the sequel for which is set to be released later this year. 

Continue reading: RIP Michael Bond: The Genius Behind Paddington Bear Leaves A Joyful Legacy

The movie adaptation of Michael Bond's marmalade-loving Paddington bear stories fended off box office competition for a second weekend in the UK, triumphing over two significant challengers for the family holiday movie crown. 'Paddington''s chief new competitors were the animated spin-off 'Penguins of Madagascar' and the starry, warmly reviewed 'Get Santa', plus seasonal rereleases of 'Frozen' and 'The Polar Express'. But 'Paddington' only lost 25 percent of its box office take, reaching £10.3 million over just 10 days.

Ben Whishaw provides the voice for Paddington Bear

Film industry analysts have been surprised by 'Paddington''s robust performance, noting its potential franchise-launching possibilities. And since it's not a specifically Christmas-themed movie, it has a chance of carrying on in cinemas into the New Year. This is unlikely with 'Get Santa' or the third British holiday hit 'Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey?!'

Continue reading: 'Paddington' Wins The Box Office For Marmalade

Film company StudioCanal took a big risk in adapting Michael Bond's beloved Paddington bear storybooks for the big screen. Not only did they dare to add a villain (the slinky Nicole Kidman) and some real menace to the story, but the process of creating a live-action/animation hybrid movie is painstaking and expensive.

Ben Whishaw took over the voice of Paddington in mid 2014 after Colin FIrth left the project

Now that the film has been in UK cinemas for a week, it appears that the investment has paid off. Buoyed by praise-filled reviews from critics (the film has a staggering 97% positive rating from Rotten Tomatoes), 'Paddington' had the second biggest opening this year for a family film (after 'The Lego Movie'). It may be StudioCanal's most expensive UK production, but it also gave them their best-ever opening weekend. It's already their biggest box office hit ever, and it's only getting started.

Continue reading: 'Paddington' Storms The UK Box Office