Yes, Queen is still killer at the box office. Bohemian Rhapsody went from underdog film -- losing its director in dramatic fashion and opening to average reviews -- to massive hit around the world, earning even more fans for the iconic band. We won't be surprised if it's a future Oscar winner too.
Rami Malek's film just passed the major box office milestone of $500 million. The current worldwide gross is now well above that, at $539,564,825. That tally comes from $164.5 million at the domestic box office and more than $375 million around the world -- so far. Clearly the foreign box office is into this story, and that's where the real money is made these days.
How does Bohemian Rhapsody stack up against other recent music biopics at the box office? For brief comparison -- without adjusting for inflation -- the 2005 film Walk The Line made $186.5 million worldwide, Ray made $124.7 million in 2004, and Straight Outta Compton made $201.6 million in 2015.
A Star Is Born isn't a biopic, but the musical drama also feeling the love from fans -- and may pick up its own Oscar nominations. Still, at the box office it is far behind Bohemian Rhapsody, currently "only" at $362.5 million worldwide. Even The Greatest Showman, with its insanely successful soundtrack, "only" made $435 million worldwide.
Bohemian Rhapsody may not be making Venom numbers at the foreign box office, but it's clearly still doing well. We'll have to wait and see what the final result looks like. A strong box office showing does sometimes help when it comes to getting awards attention, although not a popular movie Oscar since they (wisely) tabled that idea.
Rami Malek worked his butt off to play Freddie Mercury and his performance has been met with near universal praise. (I say "near" because there's always at least one contrarian.) It has to feel validating to watch the box office numbers keep coming in.
Also -- and I'm not saying this pushed Bohemian Rhapsody over the $500M line this weekend -- Iron Man gave the movie a boost. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. recently used his social media to promote Rami Malek and the movie. Imagine this is you in the photo, getting this praise from RDJ:
Awesome. Good for Robert Downey Jr., and great for Rami Malek. There's still a month left to the year, so see what movies are still ahead in 2018. Here's what we know is scheduled so far for 2019, which should be a major blockbuster year. Also, if you're keeping track, Oscar nominations should be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. The 91st Academy Awards will air Sunday, February 24, 2019 on ABC.
