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Queen’s Catalog Made $18M in Six Months Following Release of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Queen may not have yet seen a dime from the now $1.1 billion worldwide gross from Bohemian Rhapsody, but hopefully, they’ve received a royalty check or two. In a new story…

Queen's Catalog Made $18M in Six Months Following Release of 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 06: Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ winner Rami Malek (C) with Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen pose in the press room during the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Queen may not have yet seen a dime from the now $1.1 billion worldwide gross from Bohemian Rhapsody, but hopefully, they've received a royalty check or two.

In a new story from Billboard on how biopics and documentaries are providing new revenue streams for the music industry, the publication details that the Queen catalog generated $18 million in revenue as a result of the success of their biopic.

How did that happen? Six months after the film's release, "...streams of Queen’s music more than tripled compared with the six months prior to its opening -- from 588 million to 1.9 billion." As if that weren't already mind-blowing, track sales/downloads went "from 527,000 to 1.9 million units." As for album sales, figures rose 483%, "from 184,000 to 1.1 million units."

In the previous six months before the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the Queen catalog had netted $4.4 million in revenue.

In other words, buckle up for more biopics and documentaries in the near future if it means catalogs could make big money.

Erica Banas is rock/classic rock news blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights