Weekend news roundup 04/12: Box Office latest, FA Cup draw & more

Monday 4 December 2023 by Jonathan Victoria  News

Ronnie O’Sullivan wins his eighth UK Championship

Ronnie O’Sullivan has added to his legacy as the greatest snooker player of all time by winning his eighth UK Championship on Sunday.

He beat Ding Junhui 10-7 in the final to extend the record and has now become the oldest winner of the tournament, going along with his record of being the youngest winner of the tournament from 30 years ago.

And worse yet for the competition, O’Sullivan, who turns 48 on Tuesday, shows no signs of slowing down.

During his interview following his victory, he spoke of when he felt it would be time to put down the cue, saying:

“I keep thinking I have to stop winning at some point but I'll keep going until the wheels fall off”.

Queen B reigns supreme at box office

Beyonce has been crowned the box office champion as her concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce beat The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and fellow newcomer Godzilla Minus One to the top spot.

The film, which will see the star receiving 50% of the box office earnings, opened to $21m domestically with a further $6.4m internationally for a global total of $27.4m - almost five times less than Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert films’ box office debut ($96m domestically).

The Hunger Games prequel has dropped to second in its third week in cinemas, bringing in $14.5m domestically to bring the North American total to $121.2m and the global total to $243.9m.

In third place was another debutant in the form of Godzilla Minus One, which made $11m domestically and $23.1m internationally for a global total of $34.1m.

Scheffler wins on Woods's return

PGA Tour world number Scottie Scheffler was victorious at the Hero World Challenge over the weekend, winning by a clear three-shots to largely overshadow Tiger Woods’ return.

Woods was back in action for the first time since his withdrawal from the Masters in April, returning for this tournament that he hosts every December at the Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas for the benefit of the Tiger Woods Foundation.

The 15-time major winner had a very stop-start weekend, finishing with an even par for the weekend. He was sinking birdies like the Tiger of old but was also just as easily susceptible to a poor run of bogeys to cancel out the positive holes.

Eventual winner Scheffler breezed to the win on Sunday, carding a bogey-free round with four birdies to seal the win with 20-under for the weekend. His closest rival was Sepp Straka, who also had no bogeys and found eight birdies to finish 17 under for the weekend.

Two and a Half Men revival?

Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has addressed fans' speculation of the possibility of a series revival following his reconciliation with Charlie Sheen.

Unfortunately, for those who are eager for it, anything new from the show with a returning Sheen looks unlikely according to Lorre.

In an interview with Variety, the show creator and executive producer had this to say when asked about a proper Two and a Half Men revival:

“I don’t think so…. It’s still to me more gratifying and fun to do new stuff. And to let the stuff we did in the past be the past.”

Sheen and Lore previously fell out in 2011 after the former disparaged the show's network, CBS, and Lorre in interviews, leading to him leaving the show and his character being killed off the show. 

The pair have now reconciled after Sheen expressed regret for his remarks, and even recently collaborated once again in Lorre’s latest project, Brookie, which also saw Angus T. Jones, who featured in Two and a Half Men as Jake, return to acting.

FA Cup third-round draw result

The FA Cup third-round draw took place on Sunday and has produced some very interesting fixtures including several all-Prem affairs.

Manchester United have been drawn away for the first time in a domestic competition since 2021 as they will head to Wigan for their matchup. 

Newcastle will head to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016.

However, the pick of the round will see current Premier League leaders Arsenal face title rivals Liverpool.

For the full details of the third-round draw, check out our FA Cup round review coming later today.