The surviving members of the band Queen have scooped up nearly £10million each thanks to the global smash hit film Bohemian Rhapsody, it was revealed today.
Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon have seen their company Queen Productions reap in nearly £40million in total dividends thanks to the film about Freddie Mercury's life.
The former fiancée of Mercury, Mary Austin, has also earned more than £7million from Rhapsody despite having no role in the film, nor in the band's business empire.
Despite being almost universally panned by critics, Bohemian Rhapsody, which was released in October 2018, quickly became a global phenomenon at the box office.
Rami Malek won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Mercury, with the film itself scooping up another three Oscars and two Baftas.
Queen in Rio to perform at the Rock in Rio festival, Brazil, in January 1985. Pictured (L-R): John Deacon, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and Brian May
Bohemian Rhapsody, which cost £40million to make, has earned around £1billion globally in box office, DVD and streaming revenues.
It also sparked a huge surge in downloads of Queen's music.
The news of the latest windfall has come in the accounts for the band's main company, which reveals £20million in dividends were paid out for the year 2020.
This means that May, Deacon and Taylor walk away with £5million each, because the company is split four ways, with the remaining quarter going to the beneficiaries of Mercury's will.
The previous year, in 2019, the company handed out just under £19million in dividends, which was when the band started to reap the profits from Rhapsody.
May, according to The Sunday Times Rich List, is worth £210million, with Taylor at £190million and Deacon, who was not involved with Rhapsody, worth £155million.
All three of the musicians have each walked away with £9.89million in dividends over the two years recorded since Rhapsody was released.
