Weekend news roundup 22/01: Australian Open, Box Office latest & more

Monday 22 January 2024 by Jonathan Victoria  News

Australian Open: Four rounds down, three to go

 

 

 

 

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The first week of the Australian Open is complete and now just three rounds remain before the champions are crowned.

There have been a few upsets, such as the women’s first seed Iga Swiatek being sent home in the third round on Saturday.

On the men’s side, it looks like we may be headed for another Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz final, which no one will be complaining about since every one of them so far have been sensational.

And on the women’s, tournament favourite Aryna Sabalenka is looking well on her way to a second Grand Slam title but will face a tough challenge in her quarter-final matchup tomorrow against ninth seed Barbora Krejcikova.

It all ends this coming weekend, with the women’s singles final on Saturday and the men’s singles final on Sunday, both starting at 8:30am GMT.

Mean Girls sits atop the Box Office

The Mean Girls cinematic musical has won the box office and passed the milestone of becoming the first movie released in 2024 to reach the $50m domestic mark.

Despite a steep 59% dropoff since its first box office weekend, Mean Girls still earned $11.7m domestically over the weekend. The current numbers see it sit at exactly $50m domestically, with a further $16.2m internationally for a worldwide total of $66.2m

Second place in the box office over the weekend was Jason Statham’s The Beekeeper, which made $8.4m domestically. Its domestic is now at $31.1m, with a further $44.2 internationally for a $75.3m global total.

And in third place was Wonka, which continues to bring in the audience with $6.4m domestically this weekend. After five weeks in the box office, it’s now up to $187.1m domestically, and $344.6m internationally, giving it a global total of $531.7m.

McIlroy continues stellar start to 2024

Rory McIlroy’s 2024 is looking bright so far with his first win of the year, emerging victorious in the Dubai Desert Classic for a now-record fourth time.

At the halfway point in the weekend, the Irishman was 10 shots back on the leader. But come Sunday’s final round, he was in the lead and well in control.

Following a second-place finish at the Dubai Invitational the weekend prior, many believe this could be the season the world number two breaks his 10-year major drought.

With McIlroy in exciting form right now, pundits and fans alike are eager to see what he does next, with his next tournament set to be the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from 1st-4th February.

New Dune: Part Two clip shows great action to come

Paul Atreides is on a collision course with destiny. #DunePartTwo only in theaters March 1. #DuneMovie pic.twitter.com/bjZB00QRJ7

— DUNE (@dunemovie) January 21, 2024

As the release of Dune: Part Two draws ever closer, the movie's social media accounts posted a new short teaser trailer, showing off some of the action we can expect from lead actor Timothy Chalamet.

The trailer showcases Chalamet’s character Paul Atreides riding a sandworm as well as fighting with Austin Butler’s Feyd-Rautha.

As well as scenes from the upcoming film, there were also words from some of the stars, including Chalamet, Zendaya and Florence Pugh.

Dune: Part two is scheduled to be released on 1st March.

Southampton breaks 103-year-old club record

Into the history books 📚 pic.twitter.com/Umb9q1d01X

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 20, 2024

Southampton continued their stellar run in the Championship over the weekend with a 3-1 win over Swansea City, breaking a 103-year-old club record in the process.

The Saints marched up to Wales to face the side they beat 5-0 at home only a month before, looking for another result that would see them unbeaten in 21 games, breaking their previous all-time.

All four goals in the game came in the first half, where the visitors looked very comfortable and in control. The second half was a different story, but despite a resurgence from the Swans, they were unable to find the back of the net.

The victory now takes Southampton above Ipswich to second in the league, ahead only on goal difference. But if Ipswich wants their place back, they will need to get a result tonight as they head to the King Power Stadium to face league leaders Leicester.