Weekend news roundup 14/10: Darts shock & new box office topper

Jonathan Victoria • 14 Oct 2024 News

Plus England football, rugby league and Disney films release dates.

Uninspiring England fail to properly deliver

England were not able to properly build upon their previous results as they disappointed most during the second round of Nations League fixtures this past weekend.

Heading into the break, they had the chance to take the solo lead of the group with two wins. But when they faced fellow table topper Greece on Thursday at Wembley, they failed to capitalise and fell to a shock 2-1 loss.

The following fixture against Finland on Sunday proved more positive, winning 3-1, although there were still some glaring issues, most notably the fact they conceded from a corner, highlighting the defensive issues.

While there were reminders of the quality in the squad, they ultimately failed to inspire and looked a far cry from the team that made the European Championships final just this summer.

Two final group stage fixtures are set to come in November. Lee Carsley will likely take his final games in charge, as his comments following their loss to Greece suggest he isn’t entirely interested in the senior squad job.

Terrifier 3 takes top box office spot

The spooky season is upon us and with that comes the want for scary films. As such, new slasher flick Terrifier 3 claimed the crown at the box office this weekend, raking in $18.3m in the US.

It dethroned the disappointing Joker: Folie a Deux, which fell to third this weekend with just $7m domestically, only just ahead of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in fourth by a mere $4.5k - a film which has been showing for six weeks already.

Terrifier 3’s blood fest of a film has continued on its predecessor's successes, bringing in a higher opening box office total than the second’s entire box office run.

In second place this week remained The Wild Robot, Universal Pictures’ latest animation proving successful with great scores all around from audiences and critics adding to the impressive $148.4 worldwide box office so far ($13.4m domestically over the weekend).

Wigan Warriors claim historic quadruple

Wigan Warriors etched their names into the history books over the weekend by defending their Betfred Super League crown, defeating Hull KR in the Grand Final 9-2 to claim an unprecedented season quadruple.

The defending champs headed into the big game as favourites and didn’t fail to deliver, with star man Bevan French inspiring his side to victory against tough first-time finalists.

The Australian claimed the inaugural Rob Burrow Player of the Match award, marking the feat of becoming the first player to be awarded Player of the Match in the Super League Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final in the same year.

The Warriors’ victory marked a first for a club in the Super League, becoming the first side to win all four major titles in a single season. That’s the Super League Grand Final, League Leaders’ Shield, Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge.

Live-action Lilo & Stitch film gets May 2025 release date

Disney has announced the release date for the highly anticipated live-action Lilo & Stitch movie coming in 2025, plus a date for its Freaky Friday sequel, Freakier Friday.

The Lilo & Stitch remake was previously slated to be coming in the Summer of 2025. Disney has now confirmed the exact date for the film, which will come to theatres on 23rd May 2025.

Along with that announcement, the company also confirmed the release date of the long-awaited sequel to Freaky Friday, which will see Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan returning to their roles, with its date pitched for 8th August 2025.

Lilo & Stitch will have some competition that weekend at the box office as the next instalment of the Mission: Impossible franchise is also set to drop then, although the two will be targeting different audiences. May 2025 will also see the release of Marvel’s Thunderbolts* as well as the new Karate Kid film.

De Decker shocks Humphries in World Grand Prix final

Darts number one Luke Humphries suffered a shock in the World Grand Prix final as surprise finalist Mike De Decker claimed the coveted title.

Humphries was the favourite to retain his crown heading into the tournament and was looking well on his way to doing so, amidst many other surprise results and giant killings during the week that saw the likes of Luke Littler and Micahel van Gerwen experience early exits.

However, 28-year-old De Decker took advantage of the lower expectations to win and thus less pressure to take down his English opponent six sets to four.

The victory is his first televised final and only major title to date, having previously had a PDC premier event best performance of a Last 32 appearance at multiple events. He takes home the £120k top prize from the thrilling final and a memory to last a lifetime.