The biopic for late ‘Queen’ frontman Freddie Mercury ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has conquered the box office for the November 4th weekend. On its opening weekend, the film grossed $50 million domestically and $72.5 million overseas. This has earned the film some prestige among biopics, as the only other biopic to ever have a better opening weekend was 2015’s ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ which grossed $60.2 million.
However, ongoing profits may suffer somewhat due to the film’s somewhat lukewarm reception from critics. The film currently has a 60% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the “critic’s consensus” section reading “‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ hits a handful of high notes, but as an in-depth look at a beloved band, it offers more of a medley than a true greatest hits collection.” Audience reception, on the other hand, has been far more positive, with normal users of the site providing an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. Audience turnout has been notable for attracting both younger and older patrons, as well as a nearly even split of gender demographics. It seems that the promise of a ‘Queen’-centric film is more than enough to entice most viewers.
In a mildly interesting side note, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ beat out Disney’s new picture, ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms’ by at least $30 million. However, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ will also be 20th Century Fox’s last picture before it is absorbed by Disney.
