UPDATED Nov. 4 11:45 p.m. ET: Bohemian Rhapsody has secured the second-biggest music biopic opening, with Variety reporting that the film over-performed and brought in an impressive $50 million across 4,000 theaters. The only music biopic to perform better during its opening was 2015's Straight Outta Compton, which pulled in $60.2 million.
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In its debut weekend in North America, QueenbiopicBohemian Rhapsody is on pace to pull in $43 to $45 million after earning $18.4 million on Friday night, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
While the projection puts the Queen biopic ahead of the box office hit A Star is Born—which opened with $42.9 million—it didn't knock out the record holder for domestic openings for a music biopic. That title still goes to Straight Outta Compton, which launched with $60.2 million in 2015. Still, Bohemian Rhapsody is on track to have the second-biggest opening for a music biopic.
Bohemian Rhapsody tells the story of the dramatic rise of British rock band Queen. Mr. Robot’s Rami Malek stars as frontman Freddie Mercury, alongside co-stars Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, Allen Leech, and Mike Myers.
The film's production also had some drama. Director Bryan Singer was fired in December 2017 for a few reasons, including reportedly throwing equipment while arguing with Malek on set. Singer is still credited as director, but he was stripped of his producer credit.
Bohemian Rhapsody open with $12.5 million in the U.K. last weekend, one of the country's largest 2018 debuts.
