PEOPLE IN THE NEWS
The Sony comic-book movie “Venom” has shrugged off bad reviews to shatter the October box-office record with an $80 million debut, while Bradley Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” soared to $42.6 million.
According to estimates Sunday, the two very different films fueled an unusually robust October weekend at the North American box office. Despite a 32 percent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the anti-hero “Spider-Man” spinoff “Venom” opened with $205.2 million globally.
The previous best October opening was $55.7 million for “Gravity” in 2013.
Cooper’s “A Star Is Born” remake, also starring Lady Gaga, has been hailed by critics and pegged as an Oscar front-runner. It drew an audience that was 66 percent female and 68 percent older than 35.
Fanfare, red velvet cake for Princess Eugenie’s wedding
There will be military fanfare and red velvet cake when Princess Eugenie weds this week.
The 28-year-old granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II will marry liquor company executive Jack Brooksbank on Friday in St. George’s Chapel. Prince Harry, her cousin, and actress Meghan Markle was married there in May. Buckingham Palace said Sunday that Eugenie’s service will feature a trumpet fanfare and Scottish pipers, a performance by Italian singer Andrea Bocelli and a prayer written by Archbishop of York John Sentamu.
The daughter of Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Eugenie is ninth in line to the British throne.
— From wire reports