Box office: ‘Oppenheimer’ becomes the highest-grossing biopic domestically since ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Edward Douglas
·3 min read
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Over the weekend, Christopher Nolan‘s acclaimed film “Oppenheimer” became the highest-grossing biopic domestically since the 2018 Freddie Mercury/Queen musical movie “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and it’s faring even better when it comes to the global box office.

In its third weekend, “Oppenheimer” — which stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man responsible for creating the atomic bomb — made $28.7 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $228.6 million. That pushes it past the $216.3 million made domestically by “Bohemian Rhapsody” during its entire theatrical run.

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“Oppenheimer” actually received far better reviews than “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which earned fairly mixed notices, partially due to the issues surrounding director Bryan Singer, who left mid-project. But “Bohemian Rhapsody” had the last laugh at the Oscars, where it won four trophies: Best Actor (Rami Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.

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Here is the list of the top-grossing biopics of all time, going by domestic gross:

2014: “American Sniper” at $350.1 million

2009: “The Blind Side” at $255.6 million

2023: “Oppenheimer” at $228.6 million (so far)

2018: “Bohemian Rhapsody” at $216.3 million

2017: “The Greatest Showman” at $174 Million

2001: “A Beautiful Mind” at $170.7 million

2023: “Sound of Freedom” at $163.5 million

2015: “Straight Outta Compton” at $161.2 million

2010: “The King’s Speech” at $138.8 million

1998: “Patch Adams” at $135 million

2000: “Erin Brockovich” at $125.5 million

It might be little surprise that many of the biopics above were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, as “Oppenheimer” is expected to be, with “A Beautiful Mind” and “The King’s Speech” even winning the top prize. One might also note that there’s a second 2023 movie that’s made its way onto that list, Angel Studios’ “Sound of Freedom,” which still counts even if some have questioned the tactics for selling tickets.

SEE 2023 box office hits: Every movie that made more than $100 million

It looks likely that “Oppenheimer” will pass “The Blind Side” in the next couple of weeks, so the question now is whether it can catch up to Clint Eastwood’s “American Sniper” to becoming the highest-grossing biopic ever.

Of course, if we use global gross, “Oppenheimer” scores even higher, because “American Sniper” only made $547 million worldwide with most of that gross coming from North America. Since “Oppenheimer” is currently at $552.9 worldwide through Sunday, it has already passed that, though “Bohemian Rhapsody” grossed $882.2 million worldwide, mirroring the popularity of Mercury and Queen across the globe.

If we’re to look at “Oppenheimer” optimistically, it can continue to make money over the coming months, leading up to potential awards nominations and wins. That would put it on its way to overtake “Bohemian Rhapsody” globally, even if it’s already sailed past most of the biggest biopics listed above in terms of global gross.

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