J.K. Rowling continues to fascinate: she’s allowed a black actress to be cast as a grown up Hermione in “Cursed Child,” the “Harry Potter” legit play set for London’s West End in July. How fantastic is that? Jamie Parker, Noma Dumezweni & Paul Thornley will play Harry, Hermione & Ron in the play that will be the theatrical equivalent of “Star Wars” and “Adele.” To be sure, the male actors don’t look anything like their movie counterparts. But casting an African American actress in the role originated by Emma Watson is daring and smart. Bravo!

Here’s what Rowling Tweeted when this was announced:

Canon: brown eyes, frizzy hair and very clever. White skin was never specified. Rowling loves black Hermione 😘 https://t.co/5fKX4InjTH

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) December 21, 2015

The dentist who killed Cecil the Lion is a bad guy, we know that. But his rise to infamy knows no shame. Over the weekend, Walter Palmer’s River Bluff Dental posted a picture taken (I’m guessing illegally) of the climactic moment from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” He then gives away the movie’s main spoiler, which by now at least 25 million know about. But on Friday, it was still a big secret.

Do people really go to this dentist? I always thought Minnesotans were smart and hip.

Here’s Palmer’s Tweet:

Han Solo dying in #StarWarsTheForceAwakens is way worse than #CecilTheLion, right? #StarWars #RIPHanSolo #RBDSmile pic.twitter.com/LVskRgmix2

— River Bluff Dental (@RiverBlufDental) December 18, 2015

Just so we’re all on the same page. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is now the record holder for biggest ever opening weekend at $240 million. That beats this year’s “Jurassic World.”

However, “Jurassic World” holds the title for total global weekend opener, beating “The Force Awakens” by about $7 million. The latter came in at $517 million. Someone in a foreign land didn’t hold up their part of the bargain.

So now “Star Wars” has been seen by at least 25 million people in the U.S. in one weekend. That’s saying an average movie ticket is $10. That includes IMAX and 3D, with major cities at higher prices.

That’s more than a third of the number of people– 65 million– who voted for Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election.

Think about that for a minute.

The moviegoers have awakened. And they’ve gone in droves to “Star Wars.” Last night (including $57 mil from Thursday previews), “The Force Awakens” reaped more than $120 million and set a record for all time Friday night openings.

Now Disney– which spent months hedging bets with statements that this wouldn’t happen in case it really didn’t– is predicting $200-$225 $250 million for the weekend. That will also be the biggest opening ever.

Already, not counting last night, the J.J. Abrams extravaganza has well over $250 million in the bank including international receipts. And that’s just the beginning.

Disney, Abrams, Lucas, plus the three original stars– Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill– are all giving thanks this morning. Even Carrie’s dog, Gary, must be smiling.

Clint Eastwood had Warner Bros.’ biggest hit last year– “American Sniper.”  He’s also been with Warner Bros. since Bugs Bunny was eating strained carrots. And he’s 85 years old. So you’d think he’d be rewarded.

But last night WB announced a punishment of sorts for Clint: they are releasing his “Sully” Sullenberger movie starring Tom Hanks on September 9, 2016.

So this means that “Sully” will open on the second day of the Toronto Film Festival, not that it’s going to be in the festival but meaning that it won’t be, and that TIFF publicity can’t help it. “Sully” will also not benefit from Telluride, should it be selected. It’s certainly not a selection for the Venice Film Fest. Each of those fests takes place the week before “Sully” opens.

Indeed, the one place where “Sully” would make sense is the New York Film Festival, since Sullenberger bravely landed his plane in the Hudson River. But by the time the NYFF opens, “Sully” will already be three weeks old.

Opening a film on the Friday after Labor Day generally is a bad idea. People have been away for two weeks and are concentrating on school opening.There’ s no time to promote it. And it’s a week too early for big fall previews in magazines and newspapers.

This past September, no “important” movie opened until the 18th– “Black Mass” and “Sicario.” On September 4th, the biggest title was Robert Redford in the indie drama “A Walk in the Woods.”

Could “Sully” really be that bad? Anything’s possible, I guess. But what a disappointment for everyone involved if so.