Bohemian Rhapsody rocks the box office
Critics praised Rami Malek’s portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the box office hit
A biopic about rock ‘n’ roll frontman Freddie Mercury and the band Queen led the North American box office this weekend, scoring a rare win over a new Walt Disney Co. fairy tale that would normally be expected to dominate the competition.
The weekend’s major new releases made a clean sweep in the top three spots. Bohemian Rhapsody, from 20th Century Fox, collected $50 million (U.S.) from U.S. and Canadian theatres in its debut, comScore Inc. estimated in an email Sunday.
Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms garnered $20 million to land in second place, while the comedy Nobody’s Fool, from Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures, was a step behind that with $14 million.
Critics were mixed on the Fox tribute to the British band, with some praising Rami Malek’s portrayal of Mercury, despite a distracting set of false teeth.
Bohemian Rhapsody was forecast by analysts at Box Office Pro to open with sales of $40.7 million.
The movie places Malek, who won an Emmy for his role in the TV series Bad Robot, at the centre of the band’s story. It traces Queen’s meteoric rise and the creation of its biggest hits like Bohemian Rhapsody. 1. Bohemian Rhapsody; $50,000,000 2. The Nutcracker and the Four Realms; $20,000,000 3. Nobody’s Fool; $14,000,000 4. A Star Is Born; $11,100,000 5. Halloween; $11,015,000 6. Venom; $7,850,000 7. Smallfoot: $3,805,000 8. Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween; $3,700,000 9. Hunter Killer; $3,525,000 10. The Hate U Give; $3,400,000