Mercury biopic rises to top: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is No. 1

Mercury biopic rises to top: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is No. 1

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 U.S. and Canada, and another $72.5 million internationally, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That was well beyond expectations, which had pegged the film closer to $35-40 million in its opening weekend.

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 in second place.

Rounding out the top five were: “Nobody’s Fool,” $14 million, third place; “A Star Is Born,” $11.1 million, fourth place; and “Halloween,” $11 million, fifth place.

Armstrong memorabilia fetches $7.4M+ at auction

DALLAS

Memorabilia that belonged to the first man to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong, has fetched more than $7.4 million at auction.

Dallas-based Heritage Auctions says the item that sold for the highest price, $468,500, at Saturday’s auction was Armstrong’s spacecraft ID plate from Apollo 11’s lunar module Eagle. Also sold were a fragment from the propeller and a section of the wing from the Wright brothers’ Flyer, the first heavier-than-air self-powered aircraft, which each sold for $275,000.

The flight suit Armstrong wore aboard Gemini 8, the 1966 mission that performed the first docking of two spacecraft in flight, brought the astronaut’s family $109,375.

Ariana Grande’s new song references exes

NEW YORK

Ariana Grande has released a song referencing her exes, including former fiance and “Saturday Night Live” star Pete Davidson and the late Mac Miller.

The midtempo song “Thank U, Next” references past splits and expresses gratitude for what she has learned from the relationships. She talks about a Sean – she dated rapper Big Sean – and a Pete and Malcolm, which is the real first name of Miller. She says she wishes she could thank Malcolm and calls him an angel. The rapper died of a drug overdose in September.

In the song, she sings about her new love, “Ari,” and says “she taught me love, she taught me patience.”

Meanwhile, an emotional Davidson referenced the split on “SNL,” calling her a “wonderful, strong person.”

Associated Press