Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was an absolute monster when it hit theaters in November 2018, going on to earn $911 million at the box office to become not just the highest-grossing musical ever made, but the top-earning straightforward drama in the history of cinema.
With a budget estimated to be less than $60 million, you’d have thought the profit margins would have been massive. However, writer Anthony McCarten has filed a breach of lawsuit contract against producer Graham King and his GK Films outfit for loss of earnings, where it’s claimed the film actually ended up in the red.
As per the filings that were revealed by Deadline, accounting statements issued by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation appear to confirm that the awards season favorite lost $51 million, even though it came within touching distance of a billion-dollar haul.
There’s a lot of legal jargon to sift through, but the crux is that McCarten believes he’s entitled to a lot more money through the deal he signed with GK Films, which has been complicated by the company turning the contracts over to Fox when the studio boarded Bohemian Rhapsody, which is now owned by Disney following the Mouse House’s takeover. Creative accounting is a common practice in Hollywood, but how on Earth the movie ended up losing money is nothing short of mind-boggling.
