Film reintroduces Freddie Mercury, Queen to China

On review aggregator Douban and box-office tracker Maoyan, both seen as barometers of popularity in Chinese entertainment, many moviegoers rated the film 8.7 and 9.5 points out of 10 respectively.

Aside from regular versions for theatrical release, a special karaoke version has been imported to China, allowing fans to sing along with the classic songs as the lyrics roll out at the bottom of the big screen. This is also the first time a film has been released in such a format in China.

"China has seen few feature films depicting the lives of musicians. The best thing brought out by Bohemian Rhapsody is that it prompts the ordinary audience members to learn more about rock music and the lives of the performers," says Hao Yun, an award-winning singer and composer, during a Beijing premiere on March 20.

His sentiment was echoed online.

A web user writes on Douban: "Even though I was born too late to get a chance to see their shows live, to rock with Mercury and his band fellows, the 1985 performance created again on the big screen still brought tears to my eyes."

Freddie Mercury died of pneumonia caused by AIDS in 1991, at the age of 45.