Life is sweet for Warner Bros Pictures International as asensational UK debut helped Charlie And The Chocolate Factory dominate the markets outside NorthAmerica over the weekend.

Tim Burton's Roald Dahl adaptation grossed an estimated $19.8m onmore than 2,300 screens in 15 countries for an early international cumulativetotal of $36.3m.

However there was also plenty to cheer about at UIP as Paramount'sWar Of The Worlds crossed$300m and Madagascar passed$200m.

Elsewhere Fox International took Fantastic Four past $100m, while Sony PicturesReleasing's (SPRI) military epic Stealthopened at number one inseven out of its 10 debut markets.

Back to Charlie, which stormed to the top in the UK on $13.1m from 531 venues andgobbled up approximately 60% of the top five market share.

The family picture also got the better of its rivals in Mexico,where $1.4m and 380,600 admissions from 473 prints was enough for number one,as was a superb $226,000 haul from 48 in Israel.

In its third weekend in France Charlie added $1.9m from 670 for a $12.8mrunning total, while the second weekend in Brazil produced $780,000 from 192for $2.8m and an expected first place hold.

Sci-fi thriller The Island added $7.6m from 1,547 prints in 12 Asia Pacific markets foran early $23.9m international running total.

Australia opened top on $1.4m from 334 and 35% of the top fivemarket share, while Hong Kong launched number one on an excellent $522,963 and80,600 admissions from 42.

In a couple of second weekend holdovers, South Korea added $3mfrom 230 for $11.5m and Japan grossed $1.3m from 394 for $4.9m.

Batman Begins added $3.3m in 52 countries for a $156.2m international runningtotal. Key drivers were the $1.3m number one debut in Sweden includingpreviews, and a $415,300 second weekend number one hold in Denmark that raisesthe cumulative total there on $1.6m.

DreamWorks International's Madagascar generated $13.3m through UIP for a $212mcumulative score through UIP and $220m including China and South Korea.

Germany added $3.4m for $27m,the UK grossed $3.3m for $29.4m, and France added $800,000 for $19m to date.

War Of The Worlds added $10m for $311m. Highlights were $1.9m in the UK for $49.6m,$1.6m in France for $23.5m, and $1.4m in Japan for $43.3m.

Fantastic Four grossed $11.4m on 4,255 international screens to boost its runningtotal to $102.5m.

In their second weekend the superheroes added $2.9m on 409 UKscreens for $13.6m and $2.3m on 635 in France for $9.1m, as well as $1.1m on425 in Spain for $11.3m afterthree weekends.

Japan continued to deliver strong results for Star Wars:Episode III, adding$3.4m and a 14% drop after withdrawing from 134 screens in its fourth weekendfor $51.9m. Overall the picture has generated $431m at the international boxoffice.

Japanese audiences rewarded Fox International with a $1.5m debutfor Robots whileSouth Korean filmgoers spent $1.4m on tickets for Fox/Blue Sky Studios' IceAge follow-up. Theanimated picture has grossed $117.5m so far.

The comedy Guess Who opened in Spain on $1.4m on 300 screens and has amassed $21.4moverall. Mr And Mrs Smith opened in Holland on $980,000 on 98 and has grossed $136m throughFox International so far.

SPRI's Stealth grossed $4.5m, led by a $1.6m number three debut in South Koreaon 210 prints and a $730,000 number one launch in Russia on 250.

The picture also produced an impressive $440,000 on 20 in Taipeiand opened top in Malaysia and the Philippines, among others. It is scheduledto take-off in the UK next weekend.

Universal's thriller Skeleton Key opened in $1.4m from 355 venues in the UKto produce director Iain Softley's biggest ever launch in his homeland.

Spain produced $1m from 266 inSpain for a $2.4m weekend total. France and Sweden are scheduled to open nextweekend.

Land Of The Dead stands at $2m while The Interpreter has amassed $80.5m through alldistributors to date.

Results from Buena VistaInternational were unavailable at time of writing.