'Bohemian Rhapsody' Is the Box Office Champion With $51 Million Opening

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Fox’s awards contender “Bohemian Rhapsody” is gonna have itself a real good time at the box office, earning a better-than-expected $51.1 million opening from 4,000 screens this weekend. It’s the second biggest opening for a music biopic behind only the $60 million start of 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton.”

With a $52 million budget and an awards campaign waiting in the wings for lead star Rami Malek, this biopic about the legendary band Queen won over rock fans with Malek’s performance as Freddy Mercury and its exciting concert sequences, earning an A on CinemaScore. This success is despite more tepid reviews from critics who were left cold by the film’s script and gave the film mixed reviews with a 60 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

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Now that strong word-of-mouth has been earned, “Bohemian Rhapsody” has the chance to leg out all the way through November. The biggest releases for the rest of the month are family films like “Fantastic Beasts” and “The Grinch,” meaning that “Bohemian” will stand in many movie theaters as the most prominent offering for adult audiences for much of this month.

It’s a much needed boost to Fox’s box office fortunes in its final year prior to merging with Disney, as the studio’s 2018 domestic grosses haven’t hit $1 billion yet with 35 percent of the year’s grosses coming from “Deadpool 2.” Globally, “Bohemian Rhapsody” has earned an opening of $141 million, with $10 million coming from IMAX screens.

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Disney, meanwhile, just got served its worst domestic opening in two years with “Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” which opened to just $20 million domestic from 3,766 screens and $58.5 million worldwide against a $130 million budget. It’s the weakest start for Disney outside of its DisneyNature documentaries since the $18 million start for “The BFG.” “Nutcracker” earned a B+ on CinemaScore and a weak 35 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

For the most part, 2018 has largely been a year of feast or famine for Disney, scoring several astronomical hits with some big disappointments mixed in. In between the runaway success of “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Infinity War,” the studio released the $103 million “A Wrinkle in Time,” which only made $132 million worldwide.

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Then, after “Avengers,” “Solo: A Star Wars Story” shocked number-crunchers by making a franchise-worst $392.8 million worldwide, only for “Incredibles 2” to allow Disney to rebound weeks later with $1.23 billion grossed. Disney will look to rebound yet again with “Ralph Breaks the Internet” this Thanksgiving, with projections expecting a $65 million opening.

In third is Paramount’s “Nobody’s Fool,” which is one of the worst openings in director Tyler Perry’s career with an estimated $13.7 million from 2,468 screens. The R-rated comedy scored just 24 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, but was characteristically strong with Perry’s fans, as it earned an A- on CinemaScore. With a $19 million budget, the film should stay out of the red.

Completing the top five are Warner Bros.’ “A Star Is Born” and Universal’s “Halloween,” each grossing $11 million this weekend. “A Star Is Born” has a $165 million domestic total, while “Halloween” is now the second-best Blumhouse release of all-time with $150 million. “Get Out” holds the studio record with $176 million.

30 Highest Grossing Animated Movies of All Time Worldwide

A look at top animated moneymakers as of May 2020, from "The Lion King" to "Zootopia." The numbers are not adjusted for inflation.
30. "The Incredibles" (2004)

Worldwide Gross: $633,019,734

In 2004, Brad Bird's first Pixar outing wowed audiences with complicated animated action scenes, cross-generational comedy and superhero mayhem.
Pixar Animation Studios
29. "Sing" (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $634,151,679

Illumination's animal-karaoke musical crooned its way onto the list.
28. "Moana" (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $643,331,111

Disney's Hawaii-set movie scored two Oscar nominations, for Best Animated Feature and Lin-Manuel Miranda's song "How Far I'll Go."

Disney
27. "Big Hero 6" (2014)

Worldwide Gross: $657,818,612

Disney's 2014 robot tale combined anime aesthetics, superhero action and Pixar's heart.
Disney Animation Studios
26. "Ice Age: The Meltdown" (2006)

Worldwide Gross: $660,940,780

Fox's 2006 prehistoric romp proved the success of the first was no fluke.
Twentieth Century Fox
25. "Kung Fu Panda 2" (2011)

Worldwide Gross: $665,692,281

With the franchise's skills proven, DreamWorks Animation gave the world another hit of comedy with this animated martial arts sequel in 2011.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
24. "Up" (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $735,099,082

The 2009 fan favorite demonstrated that original ideas with big emotions could make big money.
Pixar Animation Studios
23. "Monsters University" (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $744,229,437

Ten years after the release of "Monsters Inc," Pixar sent fans back to school in a 2013 prequel.
Pixar Animation Studios
22. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012)

Worldwide Gross: $746,921,274

DreamWorks Animation's "Madagascar" series kept the studio afloat with a string of breezy successes, including 2012's third installment.
Dreamworks Animation Studios
21. "Shrek Forever After" (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $752,600,867

The big green ogre's final chapter dropped in 2010.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
20. "Shrek the Third" (2007)

Worldwide Gross: $798,958,162

Made in 2007, this sequel proved there was still some gas left in this fantasy mash-up comedy franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
19. "Coco" (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $807,082,196

Directed by Lee Unkrich, this animated film captured everyone's hearts and even won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2018.
Disney/Pixar
18. "Inside Out" (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $857,611,174

Disney Pixar hit the home run again with this animated feature film about the emotions inside your head, starring Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader.
Disney/Pixar
17. "The Secret Life of Pets" (2016)

Worldwide Gross:$875,457,937

Universal/Illumination's story of dogs seeking out adventure while their owners are away charmed its way onto the list.
16. "Ice Age: Continental Drift" (2012)

Worldwide Gross: $877,244,782

Profits abound for this 2012 fourth installment in the chilly prehistoric franchise, followed just behind it's predecessor.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
15."Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" (2009)

Worldwide Gross: $888,805,671

While other films have made bigger waves in the States, international sales have always returned big money for Fox's "Ice Age" franchise, proven again by the 2009 entry.
Twentieth Century Fox Animation
14. "Shrek 2" (2004)

Worldwide Gross: $919,838,758

DreamWorks Animation proved to be worthy Pixar competition with its successful "Shrek" franchise.
Dreamworks Animation Studio
13. "Finding Nemo" (2003)

Worldwide Gross: $940,335,536

"Finding Nemo" was something of a second-wind for Pixar, solidifying the company's place as the titans of modern animation.
Pixar Studios
12. "The Lion King" (1994)

Worldwide Gross: $968,483,777

Can you feel the love tonight for this Disney animated classic?
Disney Animation Studios
11. "Despicable Me 2" (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $970,761,885

Illumination's sequel managed to make more money than its predecessor and put the upcoming "Minions" spin-off into motion.
Illumination Studios
10. "Zootopia" (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1,023,784,195

Disney charmed audiences in 2016 with its cop thriller pairing a rookie rabbit cop and a wily fox informant.
Disney
9. "Finding Dory" (2016)

Worldwide Gross: $1,028,570,889

The sequel to "Finding Nemo" swam right back into audience's hearts.
Pixar
8. "Despicable Me 3" (2017)

Worldwide Gross: $1,034,799,409

Illumination's follow-up -- featuring Gru's blond-haired brother -- became the franchise's biggest grosser.
7. "Toy Story 3" (2010)

Worldwide Gross: $1,066,969,703

Built on Pixar's critical and commercial goodwill, the third installment in the mega-franchise brought in big profits.
Pixar Studios
6. "Toy Story 4" (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1,073,394,593

Nearly two decades after the last film, Woody and Buzz and the gang returned for the top-grossing film in the series (not adjusted for inflation, that is).

Disney
5. "Minions" (2015)

Worldwide Gross: $1,159,398,397

The little yellow helpers crossed the $1 billion mark at the end of August, raking in more money then "Despicable Me" and "Despicable Me 2" for Universal Pictures.
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment
4. "Incredibles 2" (2018)

Worldwide Gross: $1,242,805,359

The superpowered family sprung back into action a full 14 years after the original -- but far surpassed the original film's box office haul.

Disney/Pixar
3. "Frozen" (2013)

Worldwide Gross: $1,276,480,335

Disney's 2013 smash-hit takes the box office top spot. And then there was merchandising, video on demand and home video that audiences just couldn't let go...
Disney Animation Studios
2. "Frozen II" (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1,450,026,933

Though it failed to garner an Oscar nom for Best Animated Feature, this sequel still managed to outgross its predecessor.
1. The Lion King (2019)

Worldwide Gross: $1,631,724,000

Whether the film is animated or live-action has been up for debate, the new "Lion King" was computer animated, so we're putting it on the list.
Disney