We learned with Venom a few weeks back that negative reviews don’t always translate into poor box office numbers. This point was proven yet again this weekend with the barely freshly rated Bohemian Rhapsody. Critics were mixed but the film proved to be a true crowd pleaser that allowed it to debut beyond box office tracking.
Bohemian Rhapsody rocked its way to number one with an estimated $50 million. This is a huge win for 20th Century Fox after enduring a troubled production that saw its initial star leave over creative differences and then had its director fired only to have a new one step in to finish the last 2 weeks of filming and post-production. All signs would point to this film being doomed but much like Queen, it endured and triumph and now its prospects are looking very bright.
Internationally, after getting off to an early start in the UK last weekend, Bohemian Rhapsody expanded to 64 total overseas markets this weekend and delivered an estimated $72.5 million for a global tally topping $141 million. The UK leads the way with a gross that now totals over $26.5 million while other highlights include a $7.7 million debut in France followed by Mexico ($5.8 million), Germany ($5.7 million), South Korea ($5.7 million). Australia ($5.4 million), Spain ($4.8 million) and the Netherlands ($1.6 million). The film will add another 14 markets next weekend, including Japan. With a budget of just $52 million and a stellar “A” CinemaScore, word of mouth has potential to really soar with this film.
The news was not as good for Disney this weekend which had The Nutcracker and the Four Realms debut in second with an estimated $20 million. This opening would be an ok start for most but with a reported $125 million budget, this is definitely going to be a rare loss for the studio. Critics didn’t embrace the film either with a 35% rotten score on Rotten Tomatoes and many insiders felt the film probably should’ve opened later in November to take advantage of its holiday theme. The film did earn a “B+” CinemaScore which is encouraging but the debut is a bit too low for it to make up ground in the long run.
Debuting in third is Tyler Perry’s Nobody’s Fool with $14 million. This is an ok start but it is below the $17 million the film was tracking at. The budget is $19 million which will make the film a modest hit from a financial standpoint but one has to wonder if money was left on the table here. A January or February release probably would’ve allowed the film to break out more and it would’ve created some distance for Tiffany Haddish who still has Night School on the marquee in 12th place after opening back in September. I’m a fan of hers but I think she may want to pump the breaks a bit between projects.
Dropping to fourth is A Star is Born which is still showing strong word of mouth with an estimated $11.1 million. That’s just a drop of 20.9% and the hold is even more impressive because it’s being reported that Bohemian Rhapsody also snagged a big share of the female audience that has been driving A Star is Born. The film has a domestic tally of $165.6 million and I must say, yet again, that’s a crazy good total for a film that never hit number one at the box office. Internationally, A Star is Born also continued its strong global performance this weekend, adding another $13.9 million this weekend for an international running gross totaling $128.3 million and a global tally just shy of $295 million.
Rounding out the top five is Halloween which grossed an estimated $11 million. It dropped a hefty 64.9% but that was to be expected now that its namesake has come and gone. The film is no doubt a winner, having spent two weeks at number one and putting up huge numbers compared to its $10-15 million budget. The film has a domestic total of $150.4 million and it earned an additional $18.3 million internationally this weekend which brings the film’s worldwide tally to just shy of $230 million.
Check out the full top ten results below:
| Film | Total | % Change | Gross to Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Onward | $10,601,952 | -72.9% | $60.3 |
| Bloodshot | $9,176,695 | NEW | $9.17 |
| I Still Believe | $9,103,614 | NEW | $9.10 |
| The Invisible Man | $5,890,805 | -61.1% | $64.3 |
| The Hunt | $5,304,455 | NEW | $5.3 |
| Sonic the Hedgehog | $2,522,584 | -67.3% | $145.7 |
| The Way Back | $2,356,115 | -71.2% | $13.3 |
| The Call of the Wild | $2,226,720 | -67.1% | $62 |
| Emma. | $1,295,215 | -73% | $9.9 |
| Bad Boys for Life | $1,102,208 | -63.5% | $204.2 |
