Bohemian Rhapsody has second biggest box office opening for a music biopic

Film appears to have resonated well with cinema-goers, despite mixed to negative reviews from critics

Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody made a strong start at the US box office on its first weekend, opening with $50m.

The film, which stars Rami Malek as the iconic Queen frontman, charts the rise of the band and the personal life and work of its boundary-pushing lead singer.

Its performance marks the second-biggest opening of all time for a music biopic, after 2015's Straight Outta Compton, Variety reports. The film has clearly resonated with audiences, and carries a strong 96 per cent score on Rotten Tomatoes, despite mixed reviews and the controversy surrounding director Bryan Singer.

Despite commercial success, Bohemian Rhapsody has received less than favourable reviews from critics. In a two star review for The Independent, Clarisse Loughrey called the film a "karaoke-style paean" that was "all style, no soul" and suggested it had suffered from conflicting intentions: "It both wants to be a celebratory skip through the band's history while also serving as a satisfying biopic of Mercury. The latter is the most harshly underserved, despite Malek's very best efforts."

The Guardian also awarded the film two stars, again praising Malek for his performance but noting the film "feels less like a pioneering musical odyssey than a really good covers band".

The Telegraph gave the film three stars and said it "strains effortfully for the top notes and vaguely growls the low ones".