LOS ANGELES _ This weekend, two films that were dogged by production troubles came out on top at the box office.
Fox's "Bohemian Rhapsody" opened in first place with $50 million, well above predictions of $35 million, according to figures from measurement firm ComScore. That makes it the best debut for a music bio-pic since 2015's "Straight Outta Compton's" $60 million opening weekend.
The highly anticipated classic-rock drama, which cost an estimated $52 million to make, stars Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. With an A CinemaScore, it is the latest movie to overcome less-than-enthusiastic reviews and find box office success, joining recent hits "The Meg," "The Nun," "Night School" and "Venom."
"It's always gratifying when you know how good your film is," said Chris Aronson, the studio's distribution chief. It's "what a communal moviegoing experience is all about, because you really do feel as though you're at a rock concert, and that's pretty amazing."
Disney's "The Nutcracker and the Four Realms" debuted at No. 2, with $20 million, on the low end of analyst predictions of $20 million to $25 million.
Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's 19th century Christmas story that later inspired the ballet, "The Nutcracker" earned mixed reviews, with audiences and critics, with a B-plus CinemaScore and a 34 percent "rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It is a rare misfire for Disney, which leads the box office this year.
Both of the top films experienced trouble during production. Bryan Singer was originally attached to "Bohemian Rhapsody," but was fired for failing to show up to the set. He is still credited, though director Dexter Fletcher was tapped to finish the project.
Lasse Hallstrom was originally hired to direct "The Nutcracker," but was replaced with Joe Johnston after Hallstrom was unavailable for significant reshoots. Johnston was tasked with completing it in just 32 days.
In third place, Paramount's "Nobody's Fool" premiered with $14 million.
The first R-rated comedy from director Tyler Perry came in a bit short of analyst predictions of $15 million. The result is the third lowest opening of his 19 films.
"Nobody's Fool" earned mixed reviews from audiences and critics, with an A minus on CinemaScore and a 25 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
In fourth place, Warner Bros.' "A Star Is Born," now in its fifth weekend, added $11.1 million. Rounding out the top five, Universal's "Halloween," now in its third weekend, added $11 million.
In limited release, Focus Features opened "Boy Erased" in five theaters to $220,000. The film, based on a memoir about writer Garrard Conley's experience with gay conversion therapy, is being floated as an awards contender.
This week, Universal opens the animated "The Grinch," Sony and Columbia Pictures premiere the crime thriller "The Girl in the Spider's Web: A New Dragon Tattoo Story" and Paramount debuts the horror "Overlord."
