Biographical Drama Becoming a Blockbuster: The Case Study of Bohemian Rhapsody

The study focuses on the biographical drama (or, the biopic) as a critically underestimated, yet popular film genre that tends to portray extraordinary lives and career patterns of famous people. Given the fact that the feature film Bohemian Rhapsody (2018, directed by Bryan Singer, later Dexter Fletcher) has changed the way we think about the economic and cultural potential of biopics entirely, the authors offer an overview of the current scholarly understanding of biographical films and their preferred means of expression. The main objective of the study is to define Bohemian Rhapsody’s narrative structure in light of the conventional genre patterns related to biopics. Acknowledging the movie’s unprecedented global success, the authors work with the assumption that as shown by Bohemian Rhapsody, certain biographical dramas can, in fact, become globally popular, especially if they are able to communicate celebratory life stories of the admired and famous in a manner that corresponds with their target audiences’ expectations. The assumption is addressed via a theoretical reflection on the given topic and through narrative analysis of the biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody.