Bohemian Rhapsody (film)

For the song, see Bohemian Rhapsody.

Bohemian Rhapsody
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBryan Singer[a]
Screenplay byAnthony McCarten
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNewton Thomas Sigel
Edited byJohn Ottman
Music byQueen
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox[1]
Release dates
  • 23 October 2018 (2018-10-23) (Wembley Arena)
  • 24 October 2018 (2018-10-24) (United Kingdom)
  • 2 November 2018 (2018-11-02) (United States)
Running time
135 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom[3]
  • United States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$50–55 million[4][5]
Box office$910.8 million[6]

Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical musical drama film that focuses on the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen, from the formation of the band in 1970 to their 1985 Live Aid performance at the original Wembley Stadium. It was directed by Bryan Singer[a] from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, and produced by Graham King and Queen manager Jim Beach. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also served as consultants. A British-American venture, it was produced by Regency Enterprises, GK Films and Queen Films, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Bohemian Rhapsody was announced in 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to play Mercury. After he left the project in 2013 following creative differences with producers, the project languished for several years before Malek was cast in November 2016. Singer served as director through most of principal photography, which began in London in September 2017, but was fired in December 2017 due to frequent absences and clashes with the cast and crew. Dexter Fletcher, who was originally set to direct when the project was early in development, was hired to complete the film; Singer retained sole director credit as per Directors Guild of America guidelines, while Fletcher received an executive producer credit. Filming concluded in January 2018.

The film was released in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2018 and in the United States on 2 November 2018, to mixed reviews. While the musical sequences and Malek's performance were particularly praised,[8] Singer's direction, the film's portrayal of Mercury and other personnel,[9][10] and its use of creative licence[11][12] were criticized. However, it was well received by audiences and became a major box office success, grossing over $910.8 million worldwide on a production budget of about $50 million, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2018 worldwide and setting the all-time box office records for the biographical[b] and drama genres.[15] Bohemian Rhapsody received numerous accolades, including a leading four wins at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Actor (Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing; it was also nominated for Best Picture. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and BAFTA Award for Best British Film, while Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA for Best Actor.


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  1. ^ a b c d e "Film releases". Variety Insight. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)". AllMovie. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference preview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference opening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  7. ^ Galuppo, Mia (12 June 2018). "Bryan Singer to Get Directing Credit on Queen Biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  8. ^ Yang, Rachel (23 October 2018). "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Sees Mixed Reviews as Critics Praise Rami Malek". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  9. ^ Sblendorio, Peter (7 November 2018). "How 'Rhapsody' addresses Freddie Mercury's sexuality". The Detroit News. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Family of Belfast man Prenter who was Freddie Mercury's PA claim movie's portrayal destroys his name". Belfast Telegraph. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
  11. ^ Sharf, Zack (7 November 2018). ""Bohemian Rhapsody" called out for inaccuracies, including handling of Mercury's HIV diagnosis". Salon. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  12. ^ Bamberger, Cayla (5 November 2018). "Bohemian Rhapsody Draws Harsh Critiques for Factual Inaccuracies". Paste. Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  13. ^ "Oppenheimer". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Oppenheimer". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen biopic surpasses $900m at box office". BBC. Retrieved 15 April 2019.