There was only one movie that earned the right to sing "We Are The Champions" at the box office this past weekend, and that was Bohemian Rhapsody. The Freddie Mercury biopic jammed out to a $50 million win that was higher than even the more optimistic forecasts. Part of what drove Bohemian Rhapsody to such success was that audiences from all age groups came out to see the film.
You might think that a movie about a rock band that saw its heyday in the '70s and '80s might struggle with drawing in Millennials and Gen-Z-ers, but Bohemian Rhapsody proved successful with the younger crowd in addition to those who followed the band in their youth.
As reported by THR, comScore's exit polling service PostTrak broke down the makeup of Bohemian Rhapsody's opening weekend audience and found moviegoers young and old could not pass up a chance to rock with Queen. According to PostTrak, 17% of Bohemian Rhapsody's opening weekend audience was between the ages of 18-24, while filmgoers between the ages of 25-34 made up 26% of the audience.
These are sizable percentages that are similar to those put up by October's A Star is Born, which had the benefit of a modern pop star whose audience skews younger. So that speaks to Queen's continued relevance and the desire to see this movie among today's youth.
Audiences between 35-44 and 45-54 each made up 19% respectively of Bohemian Rhapsody's opening weekend audience, with 14% of the film's ticket buyers aged 55 and older. So those who were alive to remember Queen also came out to see the big screen biopic of the iconic band.
This breakdown shows that age groups across the spectrum were well represented and Bohemian Rhapsody didn't have to just rely on older audiences. That is a testament to how enduring Queen's music has been and how it is still relevant, recognizable and loved today. It turns out that not all of our parents' music was terrible.
Audiences young and old can clap their hands, stomp their feet and play call and response with Rami Malek's Freddie Mercury and Queen's timeless songs, and that no doubt played a factor in Bohemian Rhapsody's box office success.
Bohemian Rhapsody not only enjoyed ticket sales from all ages, but also from both men and women alike. The audience split was almost even with 51% female and 49% male. That contrasts with A Star is Born, which was weighted much heavier to female ticket buyers.
The wide range of ticket buyers for the film also seemed to really enjoy it once they saw it too. Bohemian Rhapsody enjoyed an 'A' CinemaScore, indicating that audiences really loved the film despite its lukewarm critical response. That bodes well for word of mouth and Bohemian Rhapsody's legs at the box office.
Bohemian Rhapsody is now playing, so take a look at what we thought and come back once you've seen it to rate and discuss the film. Check out our release schedule to plan out your moviegoing for the rest of 2018, and for all the latest movie news, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.
