Madonna’s long-awaited free concert on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach has upended the neighborhood, with over a million fans expected — but for retired resident Mario Renato Borges, it’s the least the singer deserves.

“Welcome, Queen,” read some posters near the huge stage erected on the Brazilian beach, where Madonna will on Saturday give the biggest show of her 40-year career and the last of her “Celebration Tour.”

The 65-year-old American singer arrived in the coastal city on Monday after more than 80 shows in Europe, the United States and Mexico. This will be her only stop in South America.

The “Like A Virgin” and “Material Girl” performer traveled to Brazil with three planes and 270 tons of equipment, according to her production company.

She has set up camp at the luxurious Copacabana Palace hotel, connected to the stage by a suspended catwalk that dozens of fans crowded under this week, hoping to catch a glimpse of the pop star.

The biggest dance floor

Thanks to free admission, organizers expect Madonna’s concert to produce the “world’s biggest dance floor” of up to 1.5 million people — a figure only reached on the same beach by the Rolling Stones in 2006.

“The traffic is chaos but the concert will be great, especially because it’s Madonna, the queen of pop,” says resident Borges, who lives in Leme, a neighborhood at the end of Copacabana Beach.

Madonna’s fourth performance in Rio will contribute some 293 million reais (US$57 million) to the local economy, an income 30 times higher than what city authorities invested, according to the mayor’s office.

Around 150,000 foreigners are expected to swarm the city, with most hotels already fully booked.

“This will undoubtedly be one of Rio’s biggest international events. It will boost our economy and attract tourists from Brazil, Latin American and all over the world,” said the city’s Tourism Secretary Daniela Maia.

Return of the conical corset

Madonna fever is clear to see in Rio — the so-called “Marvelous City” — as the hours tick down to her performance.

At the Lix printing shop in the popular downtown Saara shopping district, the songs of the “Material Girl” are playing on loop to inspire devotees who can choose from personalized fans, hats or mugs.

Manager Livia Reis, 23, tells AFP that her store went viral on social media shortly after the concert was announced thanks to an influencer who visited the Madonna-inspired shop.

“A guy came in, took a photo and a video, and sent them to a fan club with 150,000 followers in Portugal. From there, it jumped to TikTok and Instagram,” she says.

One particularly popular item is a replica of the conical corset created by French designer Jean Paul Gaultier, which Madonna famously wore on stage in 1990.

Sold as a bra or a top, the item is “doing very well,” says Reis, who expects there will be “queues out of the door” in the days ahead of the concert.

Patrols on the corners

“All this activity is good for tourism, hotels and restaurants. But let’s hope the security is up to the task,” says 68-year-old Rio local Borges.

The mayor’s office has prepared an operation equivalent to New Year’s Eve celebrations in Copacabana, one of the most famous in the world that typically brings down some one million people.

“Operation Madonna” will see some 4,500 agents deployed, working with drones and facial recognition cameras. There will be police patrols on almost every street corner in the neighborhood.

Nagila Alves, 54, who works for a pest control company, was on her way to a client’s home when she stopped to take a photo of the impressive stage set up for Madonna.

“I will always love her. Madonna is timeless,” she tells AFP, adding she plans to delay her arrival on Saturday to dodge the crowds swarming to the front of the stage.

Selena Gomez feels frustrated by social media. The 31-year-old star has a huge online following, but Gomez often takes breaks from social media platforms to escape the negativity.

The brunette beauty – who has more than 400 million followers on Instagram – said at the TIME100 Summit: “I find it frustrating. Then I get a little mouthy and I want to defend the people I love.”

Gomez believes it’s important to take breaks from social media to retain a sense of perspective.

The actress – who is currently dating record producer Benny Blanco – explained: “I took four years off of Instagram, and I let my team post for me for those years. I felt like it was the most rewarding gift I gave myself.”

Meanwhile, Gomez previously claimed that there’s “so much strength in being vulnerable”.

The Only Murders In The Building star has spoken openly about her mental health struggles over recent years, and Gomez admitted that she’s found it to be a “very freeing” experience.

She told Wondermind: “I don’t love giving advice because I don’t have all of the answers.

“I’d say, though, find a friend or a family member you feel comfortable talking with and open up about what you are feeling. It’s very freeing to open up to someone. There is so much strength in being vulnerable.”

Despite this, Gomez doesn’t have any regrets over how she’s dealt with her own struggles.

The actress – who first found fame as a child – explained: “I try and not look back and wish anything could have been different. What I am happy about is that more people are opening up about their mental health.”

 MGM’s tennis-based romance “Challengers” opened this weekend atop the North American box office, taking in an estimated $15 million behind positive reviews and the powerful net game of actor/singer Zendaya, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

“This is a strong opening for a romance and sports drama,” said analyst David A. Gross, crediting Zendaya’s star power and the directorial talents of Luca Guadagnino (he of “Call Me By Your Name”).

“This is the right material with the right director, featuring the right star at the right time,” Gross said.

Zendaya plays a tennis prodigy who retires after an injury, then later helps her husband (Mike Faist) prepare for a key match against a player (Josh O’Connor) who, awkwardly enough, is both her former lover and his onetime best friend.

By the way, yes, Zendaya can play tennis. She trained for three months with tennis pro Brad Gilbert, and Guadagnino told Variety that she was so good he rarely had to use film of her double.

In second spot for the Friday-through-Sunday period was another new release, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company’s faith-based drama “Unsung Hero,” at $7.8 million.

The partly fact-based film follows a man who moves his music-loving family from Australia to the United States after his concert promotion business collapses. Friendly fellow churchgoers and the power of prayer (spoiler alert) just might help him and his seven kids turn things around.

In third, for the second straight weekend, was Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” at $7.2 million. The humongous gorilla and giant reptile, not natural buddies, team up this time to save their species — and ours.

Meantime, A24’s “Civil War,” a disturbing saga about a dystopian America in the near future, dropped three places from last weekend’s top spot, earning $7 million.

Kirsten Dunst plays a veteran photojournalist who finds herself increasingly tormented as she travels through a blood-soaked country in hopes of interviewing a besieged third-term president.

And in fifth, down two spots, was Universal’s horror film “Abigail” at $5.3 million. Alisha Weir plays 12-year-old Abigail, whose kidnappers learn too late that she is a killer vampire.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” ($3.9 million)

“Kung Fu Panda 4” ($3.6 million)

“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” ($3.3 million)

“Dune: Part Two” ($1.9 million)

“Boy Kills World” ($1.7 million)