Rocketman and the rise of biopics

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Rocketman, like Bohemian Rhapsody, is another example of the current trend of creating biographical films or documentaries about artists

With applause that lasted more than 5 minutes, the audience received Rocketman, the film that tells the life of the eccentric singer Elton John during his show at the Cannes Film Festival. Now comes to the screens of the world this film that will show the life of this icon of music from the 60s to the present.

Leer en español: Rocketman y el auge de las biopics

Performed by Taron Egerton, directed by Dexter Fletcher and with the singer as one of the producers, the film promises to give a surreal look to his life, more than a traditional angle. Elton John himself published an article in The Guardian in which he portrayed his experience with the film: "I did not want a film packed with drugs and sex, but equally, everyone knows I had remove a lot of both during the 70s and 80s, so there was no point in making a movie that implied that after every gig, I'd quietly go back to my hotel room with only a glass of warm milk."

But everyone will judge at the time, for now, we have to talk about the impact that this type of film is having in the industry, not only on film but on music. The truth is that the music industry is also targeting biopics and artists' documentaries. The reason for this is that, beyond a cinematic success, it awakens in the millions of spectators the desire to hear over and over again the songs that years ago did not stop playing on the radio. Thus, the reproductions of songs of the shoot and revive an artist who was hiding in some dusty drawer of Spotify.

Let's take Bohemian Rhapsody as an example. This biopic about Freddy Mercury once again woke up the love for Queen, making the radio sound, and included in parties put one or another theme of the band. According to Billboard, in addition to the million-dollar box office profits, since November 2018, the month in which it was released, there have been more than 2 billion reproductions of its songs. This would mean an increase in your earnings through platforms such as Spotify or YouTube.

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As for this film, Brian May, the guitarist of Queen, said a few days ago on BBC Radio that Queen has not yet seen the gains of the film, contrary to what many may come to believe. In mocking tone, he said: "How successful does a movie have to have before you make money?" This, although Billboard published the earnings report, which showed that the film had won more than 600 million dollars and is the biopic number 1 of the history. However, although May and the other members of Queen have not yet won the film, no doubt those 2 billion reproductions have cash on their bank accounts.

In any case, biopics and biodocs have turned out to be a million dollar bet. Especially when it comes to iconic artists from past decades, because reliving the phenomenon that they were years ago will also bring millionaire profits to the industry.

That, in addition, taking into account that nowadays the possibility of reproducing their songs, and winning for it, is within reach of a click, different from before it had to acquire the discs, which is the way to explain that artists like Drake have surpassed the record of songs in the Top 10 of Billboard of the Beatles, or that contemporary artists like Justin Bieber have sold more than icons of the music of other times.

According to Billboard, from now on there is nothing left but to wait for the music industry to exploit this rough diamond that is the artists' films. For this, movies and documentaries are expected from artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Aretha Franklin, or other more contemporary like Pink and Ed Sheeran.

LatinAmerican Post | Juliana Suárez

Translated from "Rocketman y el auge de las biopics"