Bohemian Rhapsody has paid its dues of terrible reviews, time after time, and former director Bryan Singer has done no sentence despite (allegedly) committing several crimes. And bad mistakes, the script made a few. It's pretty fair to say Bohemian Rhapsody has had its share of sand kicked in its face, but it's come through...with a $18.4 million Friday box office, on track for a well-above-expectations $45 million.

The film—which stars of-hooded Mr. Robot actor Rami Malek as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury—has had a less rockin' and more rocky road to the big-screen, with Fox firing Singer as director with just a few weeks left in production. Bohemian hasn't fared too fantastically with critics—although our own Perri Nemiroff was "completely taken" by the film—but it has garnered an A CinemaScore from audiences. The projected opening take would be the second highest of all time for a music biopic, right behind 2015's Straight Outta Compton ($60.2 million).

Elsewhere, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms didn't exactly sleigh the competition. Disney's adaptation of the iconic ballet took in $5.6 million Friday, almost as if people don't want to see a Christmas-themed CGI extravaganza one day after Halloween. Nutcracker is on track for an opening weekend somewhere in the $18-20 million ballpark, disappointing numbers considering the film reportedly cost $125 million to produce.

R-rated comedy Nobody's Fool will land in third, marking the first weekend in what seems like all eternity with a top-three not featuring Venom ($1.9 million, sixth) or A Star Is Born ($3.1 million, fifth). That's not to say the film—written and directed by Tyler Perry and starring dynamo Tiffany Haddish—did particularly well. Nobody's Fool nabbed $4.8 million on Friday night, trending toward a lukewarm $12 million debut.

Take a look at Friday’s numbers below and check back tomorrow for full weekend estimates. (Numbers via Box Office Mojo)

Rank

Title

Friday

Total

1.

Bohemian Rhapsody 

$18,400,000

$18,400,000

2.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

$5,619,000

$5,619,000

3.

Nobody's Fool 

$4,800,000

$4,800,000

4.

Halloween

$3,331,000

$142,724,705

5.

A Star Is Born

$3,150,000

$157,684,566

nutcracker-images-mackenzie-foy-keira-knightley
Image via Walt Disney Pictures
tiffany-haddish-homecoming-queen-movie
Image via Universal Pictures
halloween-sequels-michael-myers
Image via Universal Pictures