Despite dividing fans and critics, Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has romped it home in the interntional Box Office, becoming the highest-grossing film with central LGBTIQ+ themes in history.
Directed by Bryan Singer, the film has now made over $400 million worldwide, overtaking Robin Williams' gay classic The Birdcage, which earned $185 million back in 1996.
According to Gay Star News, the film's success has also seen it become the second-highest grossing musical biopic ever, just behind Straight Outta Compton, which was released in 2015 and told the story of gangsta rap group N.W.A.
Despite containing no nudity or explicit sex scenes, Bohemian Rhapsody has faced some controversy for its queer content - with Malaysian movie-goers left disappointed after 24-minutes were cut from local screenings of the film.
According to Malay Mail the film was rated 18+ by the Malaysian Film Censorship Board and recorded as having a running time of 110 minutes, while in the US, UK and Australia the film is rated PG-13 and has a 134 minute run time.
Rami Malek, who plays Mercury, has admitted that he pushed for more queer content to be incorporated in the film.
“It was something I pushed for, to be quite honest, as much as possible and repeatedly brought to the attention of producers and directors and everyone who would listen,” Malek said.
He added: “I hope people do not feel that the film does a disservice to the community, and if it were me, I would’ve loved to have incorporated more.”
The film is in Australian theatres now.
