‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and other 8 films inspired by musicians

Given the recent success of the feature film based on the musical work of the band Queen, we show you other great artists who have been represented on the big screen

With more than 147 million dollars at the box office in its premiere week, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' recorded, according to the specialized website Box Office Mojo, the second-best debut for a musical biography after "Straight Outta Compton", a film about the training of the hip-hop band NWA and that was released in 2015.

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Although the film, directed by Bryan Singer has been well received by the public, critics have been less benevolent. On the website "Rotten Tomatoes" one of the most famous in terms of film reviews, the film gets 60% positive reviews by critics in contrast to 91% of viewers who liked the film.

The biographical genre of artists has taken on increasing relevance and that is why in LatinAmerican Post we decided to review eight of the most remembered musicians' films, with data on box office receipts from the prestigious website Thenumbers.com, responsible for host the economic data of the world of cinematography.

Amadeus (1984)

The winner of the Oscar Award for best film in 1984 was one of the precursors of musical 'biopics'. Directed by Milos Forman, tells the story of the famous Austrian musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (played by Tom Hulce), from the perspective of his eternal rival Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham). He won eight Oscars and raised almost $ 52 million at the box office.

Sid and Nancy (1986)

Based on the chaotic life of Sid Vicious (played by Gary Oldman) member of the punk band "Sex Pistols" and his partner Nancy Spungen. The film, directed by Alex Cox, was harshly criticized by the other members of the band who claimed that it did not reflect at all the life of Sid. In the end, the film raised about 2 million dollars.

Read also: From Rome to Bohemian Rhapsody: The 10 most anticipated films of this season

The Doors (1991)

Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Van Kilmer, the film based on the story of the band led by Jim Morrison received numerous and strong criticism from the other members of "The Doors", who complained that the representation of Jim Morrison What was done in the film did not correspond to reality, leaving aside his facet of poet and musician for that of a psychotic. Even so, the film raised more than 34 million dollars.

Selena (1997)

Perhaps one of the most remembered musical biopics in history. The film tells the story of Selena Quintanilla (Jennifer Lopez) and her meteoric rise to fame, which was cut short when the manager of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar (Lupe Ontiveros) murdered her at the age of 23. The tape was recorded only two years after Selena's death. Directed by Gregory Nava and Abraham Quintanilla (father of Selena) as executive producer, the film reached $ 35 million in revenue.

8 Miles (2002)

Based on the life of the famous rapper Eminem (who plays himself in the film) and under the direction of Curtis Hanson, this film shows the first steps of a white rapper who wants to start earning the respect of the world of rap in a mostly black neighborhood. The film was well received by critics and fans alike and won the Oscar for best original song for 'Lose Yourself'. The success of the film was extended to the box office, where it reached 145 million dollars.

I'm not there (2007)

Maybe one of the most complex but elaborate 'biopics'. Written and directed by Todd Haynes, this film offers a glimpse IGNORE INTO the legend of music, Bob Dylan, through seven different personalities that live inside. With an outstanding performance by Cate Blanchett (who thanks to this film won the Oscar for best-supporting actress), this film raised 12 million dollars.

Nowhere boy (2009)

Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, this film embarks on the journey of a teenager John Lennon (Aaron Taylor Johson) to become a shining figure of music, first in the band "The Quarrymen" and later in "The Beatles". In addition, the film shows signs of his relationship with his family, especially with his mother. In terms of revenue, the film made more than 7 million dollars worldwide.

Michael Jackson's This is it (2009)

Although it is not exactly a 'biopic', we cannot miss the documentary directed by Kenny Ortega and where you see the previous tests to the series of concerts that would give Michael Jackson, also titled "This is it." This film, which shows the last days of Michael Jackson before his death, was harshly criticized by the artist's family, as they considered it a way to profit from the death of the so-called "King of Pop". Nevertheless, the documentary obtained a great success at the box office as well as 250 million dollars of profit.

LatinAmerican Post | Carlos Espitia

Translated from "‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ y otras películas inspiradas por músicos"

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