20th Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody is doing even better than expected at the box office, with early estimates putting the Freddie Mercury biopic at around $50 million this weekend.
Deadline reports that the movie is exceeding expectations, with Saturday estimates putting the three-day opening weekend projection at $48.9 million.
While the official three-day estimates won’t be in until Sunday morning, it could easily go beyond $50 million, an exceptional start for a film that has had its fair share of production struggles.
Big debut: Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek (seen at a BAFTA film screening in October) is eyeing an opening weekend debut of over $50 million
The biopic also opened with $13 million in its U.K. release last weekend, and with this projected domestic debut, it has already exceeded its $55 million production budget.
The movie is already a hit with fans and critics alike, getting a coveted A CinemaScore rating along with a 60% ‘Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Early projections from BoxOffice.com in September put the opening weekend at $35 million, but in early October the debut had been upped to a projected $40 million and now it’s slated to eclipse that figure as well.
The movie’s success could be seen as a minor miracle, considering how the production had to change directors during filming.
Making bank: Deadline reports that the movie is exceeding expectations, with Saturday estimates putting the three-day opening weekend projection at $48.9 million
Dangerous set: The director had also reportedly clashed with star Rami Malek numerous times, with the director reportedly even throwing electrical equipment at the star during one of their many confrontations
Variety reported in December 2017 that director Bryan Singer had been fired midway through the production after the director repeatedly failed to show up on the set.
The director had also reportedly clashed with star Rami Malek numerous times, with the director reportedly even throwing electrical equipment at the star during one of their many confrontations.
20th Century Fox brought in Dexter Fletcher (Eddie the Eagle) to finish the production on the biopic.
While Singer retained sole directorial credit, Fletcher was given an executive producer credit for his work on the film.
Soulmate: Malek stars alongside his real-life girlfriend Lucy Boynton, who plays Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury’s ‘soulmate’
Malek stars alongside his real-life girlfriend Lucy Boynton, who plays Mary Austin, Freddie Mercury’s ‘soulmate.’
Bohemian Rhapsody opened in exactly 4,000 theaters this weekend, going up against Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms in 3,766 theaters and Paramount’s Nobody’s Fool in 2,468 theaters.
Deadline reports that The Nutcracker and the Four Realms is severely underperforming, with a projected opening weekend of $20.2 million, from a $120 million budget.
Nobody’s Fool, the latest from director Tyler Perry, starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter, is eyeing a $13.8 million debut, although it only cost $12 million to make.
Big hit: Early projections from BoxOffice.com in September put the opening weekend at $35 million, but in early October the debut had been upped to a projected $40 million and now it’s slated to eclipse that figure as well
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