Entertainment News Roundup: Netflix's 'Squid Game' estimated to be worth about $900 million; Beijing shop launches 'Squid Game' bake-off challenge and more

Critics were kind, but that couldn't save the movie, which is limping to a fifth-place finish. Pan-African film festival opens in Burkina Faso amid COVID19 and security challenges Africa's premier film festival opened in Burkina Faso on Saturday with a colourful ceremony showcasing choreography, and acrobatic and musical acts from some of the continent's biggest names, including Senegalese Grammy nominee Baaba Maal.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Box Office: 'Halloween Kills' Scores Bloody Great $50.3 Million Debut, 'The Last Duel' Bombs

Universal and Blumhouse's "Halloween Kills" topped the weekend box office with a $50.3 million debut. That's a bloody good showing considering that the film is being release simultaneously in theaters and on-demand via Peacock, NBCUniversal's in-house Netflix challenger. That kind of distribution pattern has depressed ticket sales in recent months, with films like Warner Bros.' "Cry Macho" and "The Suicide Squad" failing to resonate with moviegoers when they were made available at the same time on HBO Max. An exclusive theatrical release wasn't enough to save "The Last Duel," a lavish historical epic starring Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and, venturing very far afield from the Cambridge/Southie milieu that made them stars in "Good Will Hunting," Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. The drama, which is set in 14th century France, bombed, grossing a pallid $4.8 million. That's a disastrous result given that the film cost north of $100 million and a sign that older audiences remain skittish about returning to theaters when COVID and its variants are still circulating. The film was inherited by Walt Disney after it bought 20th Century Fox Studios in 2019. Ridley Scott, who also oversaw this fall's "House of Gucci," directed. Critics were kind, but that couldn't save the movie, which is limping to a fifth-place finish.

Pan-African film festival opens in Burkina Faso amid COVID19 and security challenges

Africa's premier film festival opened in Burkina Faso on Saturday with a colourful ceremony showcasing choreography, and acrobatic and musical acts from some of the continent's biggest names, including Senegalese Grammy nominee Baaba Maal. With a backdrop of Islamic militant attacks in the Sahel West African nation https://www.reuters.com/world/death-toll-burkina-faso-attack-rises-80-2021-08-19 and the coronavirus pandemic, the glitzy ceremony saw a tribute to the country's military and to former president and revolutionary leader Thomas Sankara https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/after-34-years-sankara-murder-trial-begins-burkina-faso-2021-10-11.

Hollywood film-crew union reaches tentative deal, averting strike

A union that represents about 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers in film and television reached a tentative deal with producers on Saturday, averting a strike that threatened to cause widespread disruption in Hollywood, negotiators said. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which includes camera operators, make-up artists, sound technicians and others, said negotiators agreed to a new three-year contract.

Netflix's 'Squid Game' estimated to be worth about $900 million - Bloomberg News

"Squid Game," Netflix Inc's biggest original series launch, is estimated to be worth almost $900 million for the streaming giant, Bloomberg News reported late on Saturday, citing figures from an internal Netflix document. The nine-episode thriller, in which cash-strapped contestants play childhood games with deadly consequences in a bid to win 45.6 billion won ($38.58 million), became an international hit after it launched last month.

Beijing shop launches 'Squid Game' bake-off challenge

A Beijing bakery has introduced a Squid Game-themed confection-making challenge in its store as it seeks to cash in on the massive popularity of the South Korean Netflix show. For 58 yuan ($9), customers can pretend to be a character in the smash-hit series by taking part in the challenge to make the candy, called dalgona, by trying to convert a mixture of sugar and baking soda into neatly shaped biscuits.

Golden Globes still on, despite NBC dropping the awards show

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which organizes the annual Golden Globes, said on Friday it will present the awards for television and film in January despite the NBC television network deciding in May to no longer air the show. The association has drawn criticism over ethics issues and a lack of racial diversity in its membership, prompting NBC to drop televising the Golden Globes that the group hosts. The group's members also were accused of making sexist and racist remarks and soliciting favors from celebrities and studios.

Russian actor and director making first movie in space return to Earth after 12-day mission

A Russian actor and a film director making the first move film in space returned to Earth on Sunday after spending 12 days on the International Space Station (ISS). The Soyuz MS-18 space capsule carrying Russian ISS crew member Oleg Novitskiy, Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko landed in a remote area outside the western Kazakhstan at 07:35 a.m. (0435 GMT), the Russian space agency Roscosmos said.

(With inputs from agencies.)