(image: 20th Century Fox)
SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Korea Bizwire) — “Bohemian Rhapsody” has topped the South Korean box office two weeks after its grand opening.
The musical film about the legendary rock band Queen and its lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, attracted 118,954 moviegoers on Tuesday, beating out “Intimate Strangers”, a South Korean movie, to top the movie charts.
The movie has attracted a total of 2,071,521 spectators so far. The movie started off second on the movie charts after opening at 811 movie theaters on October 31, expanding to 1,018 screens as its popularity spread.
The movie is gaining a stronger presence as time passes, attracting 49 percent more spectators (780,000) in the second week compared to the week prior (520,000).
Those in their 40s and 50s who grew up listening to Queen, as well as the younger generations in their teens and 20s, have flocked to theaters to listen to songs like ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, and other hits that are difficult not to be recognized.
The last 20 minutes of Queen’s Live Aid performance reenacted in the movie were more than enough to mesmerize the audience.
Many people returned a second time to watch the movie again in sing-alongs or at theaters with better sound systems.
The Queen fever at the theaters is also being felt on South Korean music charts. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ ranked second on the Melon Pop Charts, while 13 other Queen hits made it to the top 100.
The movie’s original soundtrack has topped sales charts at Yes24, Interpark, and other major record stores.
“The harmonious relationship between music and drama brought memories to the old, and excitement to the young,” said Jeon Chan-il, a movie critic.
“Queen’s songs are something that even music haters fall for, and Rami Malek’s extraordinary performance as Freddie Mercury definitely did most of the trick.”
South Koreans have also been particularly crazy about music films. “La La Land”, a musical film released in 2016, attracted 3.6 million moviegoers in South Korea, the largest number worldwide.
“Les Misérables”, which gathered 5.9 million spectators, along with other movies including “Mama Mia!”, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, “Begin Again”, and “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” also succeeded in the South Korean market.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
