Bohemian Rhapsody pulled off a major upset at the Golden Globes on Sunday, taking home two top prizes — best drama film and best actor for Rami Malek, who plays Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in the biopic about the British rock band.
The film won over early favorite A Star Is Born, starring Lady Gaga, superhero smash hit Black Panther, Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and If Beale Street Could Talk.
The 76th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by actors Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg, handed out 25 awards in cinema and television throughout the evening. Sunday's winners are seen as a predictor to which films will win the all-important Academy Award on February 24.
The night's winners included:
Best performance by an actress in a movie drama
Actress Glenn Close has won the best actress Golden Globe for her role in The Wife. Close beat favorite Lady Gaga for her role in A Star is Born.
Best comedy or musical
Green Book was the winner in the best comedy or musical category. Starring African-American actor Mahershala Ali as a concert pianist in the 1960s and Viggo Mortensen as his chauffeur. Ali won best supporting actor for the movie. Green Book also won best screenplay for a motion picture.
Best actor in a comedy or musical motion picture
Christian Bale accepted the Golden Globe for his role in Vice, a biopic of former US Vice President Dick Cheney.
Best director, foreign language film
Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron’s Spanish language motion picture Roma, a semi-autobiographical film about growing up in 1970s Mexico City, won him the award for best director. Earlier in the night, Cuaron took home the award for best foreign language film. Cuaron has won three Golden Globes in his career; his first came in 2014 for directing Gravity.
Best original song
"Shallow" from A Star is Born won the award for best original song. Mark Ronson used his acceptance speech to thank director-actor Bradley Cooper for incorporating the song's lyrics into the film.
Nominations aplenty
A Star is Born — with singer Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper — began the night with five nominations. It tells the story of a tragic romance between a fading rock star and a rising pop star. Many critics had tipped it to win in the coveted best drama category.
"A Star is Born has everything going for it, including box office and critical success," Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst at industry data firm Comscore, told the Agence France-Presse news agency ahead of the ceremony.
Winners are chosen by the 90-odd members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
