‘Rocketman’ CinemaCon Footage Reactions Suggest An R-Rated ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ That’ll Be A Huge Hit

Should Rocketman have aspired to land like Bohemian Rhapsody That’s an embarrassingly loaded question, but here I am, tossing it out there. On one hand, the Queen biopic was a financially astounding hit, and Rami Malek walked away with a Best Actor Oscar for what many but not all feel was a deserving performance as Freddie Mercury. However, the editing was a mess but also earned an Oscar, and Brian May and Roger Taylor’s input may have led to the film’s arguably sanitized tone and downplaying of Freddie’s sexuality within the larger story. It’s safe to say that Rocketman — the “musical fantasy”-not-a-biopic about Elton John starring Taron Egerton — would love to score those box-office dollars while edging out BoRhap with more critical acclaim.

From the looks of the responses to CinemaCon footage of the movie (directed by Dexter Fletcher, who took over Bohemian Rhapsody‘s final leg after Bryan Singer was fired) the movie might succeed on both fronts. Uproxx’s Mike Ryan believes that Rocketman will make buckets and buckets of money.

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 4, 2019

Other takes on the footage point toward a refreshingly unadulterated air — that is, an R-rated approach to celebrating the success of a beloved artist — which earned enormous applause on Thursday.

— JoBlo.com (@joblocom) April 4, 2019

BIG response to extended #Rocketman footage — a truncated version of what was screened to NY and LA press last month — perhaps biggest cheers of #CinemaCon yet.

— Kate Erbland (@katerbland) April 4, 2019

Other reactions zero in on the almost guaranteed box-office success here, along with all kinds of praise for Egergon, who did his own singing.

— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) April 4, 2019

We just saw maybe 10-15 minutes worth of ROCKETMAN. Holy fuck, y’all. This movie looks so, so good. There’s no way Egerton doesn’t end up with an Oscar nomination. I am all in for this movie.

— Scott Wampler™ @ CinemaCon (@ScottWamplerBMD) April 4, 2019

Extended look at #Rocketman. @TaronEgerton is the real deal – he sounds freaking amazing as Elton John. Deeply into this. #CinemaCon

— Alisha Grauso @ #CinemaCon (@AlishaGrauso) April 4, 2019

.@ParamountPics just showed a very long sizzle reel from #Rocketman and WOW. @TaronEgerton looks brilliant in the role and the scale and scope looks huge. Remember director @Dexfletch was the one that finished #BohemianRhapsody after Singer was fired and he helms this film. pic.twitter.com/bJziR7mZQh

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 4, 2019

Notably, Egerton spoke out about the “fairly hands-off” approach of Elton John during the making of this film.

— Alisha Grauso @ #CinemaCon (@AlishaGrauso) April 4, 2019

Taron Egerton – who does all his own singing – says Elton John was fairly hands-off and was happy for them to have tun with him and reinvent him. #Rocketman #CinemaCon

— Alisha Grauso @ #CinemaCon (@AlishaGrauso) April 4, 2019

And the comparisons to Bohemian Rhapsody probably won’t stop, with a few folks on the fence on whether Rocketman is distinctly different or too much like its immediate predecessor.

— Fandango (@Fandango) April 4, 2019

Saw about 7 minutes of #Rocketman footage. Looked pretty good when it doesn’t look like Bohemian Rhapsody. It looked like Bohemian Rhapsody about half the time. #CinemaCon

— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) April 4, 2019

Rocketman floats into theaters on May 31.