‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ rocks in debut
NEW YORK — The Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and 20th Century Fox are — for now, at least — champions of the world.
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” starring Rami Malek as the late Queen frontman, shrugged off production troubles and mediocre reviews to debut with $50 million in weekend ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada, and another $72.5 million internationally, according to studio estimates Sunday. That was well beyond expectations.
But audiences rushed to theaters to see the widely praised performance by Mr. Malek, the “Mr. Robot” star, and to hear Queen’s footstomping anthems like “We Are the Champions,” ‘’Another One Bites the Dust” andthe operatic title song.
In soaring to No. 1, the Fox release trounced one from Disney, which will soon own the studio. Despite a production budget of $125 million, the Walt Disney Co.’s lavish, big-budget “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” opened with just $20 million. Disney is set to merge with Fox in the coming months, effectively ending the 103-yearold Fox, one of Hollywood’s six major studios.
Though Disney’s record of success is the envy of Hollywood, “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” marks the studio’s third misfire this year following the underperforming “A Wrinkle in Time” and “Solo.”
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” made for $52 million, was largely dismissed by critics as an overly conventional rock biopic (60 percent “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes). But the film proved more popular with moviegoers, who gave the PG-13 release, produced by Graham King, an A CinemaScore .
“Nobody’s Fool,” which paired Tiffany Haddish with another box-office force in writer-director-producer Tyler Perry, opened in third with a so-so $14 million.
Estimated ticket sales (in millions) for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to comScore.
1. “Bohemian Rhapsody” — $50.0
2. “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” — $20.0
3. “Nobody’s Fool” — $14.0
4. “A Star Is Born” — $ 11.1
5. “Halloween” — $11.0
6. “Venom” — $7.9
7. “Smallfoot”— $3.8
8. “Goosebumps 2” — $3.7
9. “Hunter Killer” — $3.5
10. “The Hate U Give” — $3.4