MovieChat Forums > Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) Discussion > Really surprised this was a big hit in U...

Really surprised this was a big hit in U.S


I know the band were big for the late 70's and early 80's, but from Hot Space onwards the American's kind of jumped off the bandwagon as Queen went on to release some of their greatest work, steal Live Aid, do major Stadium tours. But I wasn't so shocked at the success around the rest of the world, but U.S box office was a nice surprise.

When did Queen become popular again with American audience?

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(I'm American)
For me, I've loved Queen since the early 70's. Never stopped.

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Actually Hot Space was more popular in the US than it was in the UK according to the numbers. As for when they vanished that was when they did the cross dressing video for I Want to Break Free on the album The Works... That was when MTV stopped playing them and they pretty much vanished from the TVs... They never really lost popularity as I could recall hearing them played on classic rock stations all through that time and onwards. It was just that they stopped being played by the pop stations.

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And Freddie did say he wouldn't go back unless they had a big hit, it never came and it's a shame. Especially how massive their last tour was in 86, and it skipped North America. Those hits they had during that period are some of their best and something I thought would have gone down a storm in America but alas. I'm sure Wayne's World helped get them a newer fanbase with younger fans. But it's great to see the film be a huge success in the States.

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»»When did Queen become popular again with American audience?

It has something to do with time. Over time Queen became legends. Not only in America but throughout the world.

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When the younger generations realized that their pop music sucks, and started looking to the music of past generations instead.

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They never stopped. There was no need to restart in the US. Queen are like Zeppelin and Hendrix and Bowie: they are discovered anew by each successive generation. It’s like seeing the sky for the first time. And all three of those bands have absolutely no one else who sounds anything like they do. Clapton, The Who and Ginger Baker fall into this category, too. They are raw forces of musical nature. You KNOW who they are when you hear them.

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I am pleasantly surprised at how well it's done in America as well.

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It's fantastic, 150 million is pretty damn great especially for a film with no superheros, or CGI monsters in it. Just a rock biopic on one of the biggest bands ever.

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@looper. All of The Greatest Showman, Mamma Mia 2, Star is Born, Bo Rhap have been incredibly successful, and Mary Poppins Returns is almost certainly going to top them all. Bottom Line: Musicals and musical-adjacent properties (with the uniquely social movie-going experiences they afford) have become the fourth reliable profit center for movies alongside superheroes and animation and niche horror.

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Queen never stopped being popular in the US, it is most of my friend's music collections. They represent the longing for love in every day, every month, every year. Who does not want love, or want to give love? That is why they still have what makes a great song, love!

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