Bob Dylan Biopic ‘A Complete Unknown’ Already Ranks Among the All-Time Top-Grossing Music Biopics: Here’s the Top 25

January 4, 2025 E Jazz Reporter

Entertainment

The films on this list cover a wide range of genres, including rap, classical, country, Latin and contemporary Christian.

Timothée Chalamet in ‘A Complete Unknown’

Macall Polay/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

The Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown is off to a fast start at the boxoffice. The film has grossed $33.6 million worldwide since its release on Christmas Day, according to boxofficemojo.com. That enables it to place on our list of music biopics with the highest worldwide grosses.

Timothée Chalamet stars in the film, which follows Dylan from January 1961, when he moved from Minnesota to New York City, to July 1965, when he caused an uproar by playing (gasp) electronic instruments at the Newport Folk Festival. James Mangold, who directed the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, also did the honors here.

Mangold has directed three actors in Oscar-nominated performances – Angelina Jolie in her Oscar-winning role in Girl, Interrupted, Joaquin Phoenix in his Oscar-nominated role as Cash in Walk the Line and Reese Witherspoon in her Oscar-winning role as June Carter Cash in that same film. Chalamat and Edward Norton, who plays Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown, may well join them when this year’s Oscar nods are announced on Jan. 17.

Here are the highest-grossing biopics of musicians in terms of worldwide box office. We didn’t include a few high-grossing films about real-life music personalities because they’re not biopics in the traditional sense. These include The Sound of Music (which tells the story of Maria von Trapp and the Trapp Family Singers); Green Book (which deals with a road trip taken by pianist and composer Don Shirley); Florence Foster Jenkins (about an heiress and hopelessly untalented soprano by that name); and Music of the Heart (about violinist and music educator Roberta Guaspari). Meryl Streep starred in the latter two films.

Here are the 25 biopics of music stars with the highest worldwide grosses.

Get on Up (2014)

Worldwide gross: $33.4 million

Director: Tate Taylor

Music: Thomas Newman

Notes: The late, great Chadwick Boseman starred as James Brown in this biopic, which was directed by Tate Taylor and produced by Taylor, Brian Grazer, Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman. Viola Davis, Craig Robinson and Octavia Spencer had supporting roles. The film soundtrack reached No. 61 on the Billboard 200.

A Complete Unknown (2024)

Worldwide gross: $33.6 million

Director: James Mangold

Music: Nick Baxter, executive music producer

Notes: Timothée Chalamet stars as Bob Dylan in this biopic, which follows Dylan from January 1961, when he moved from Minnesota to New York City, to his 1965 concert at the Newport Folk Festival, resulting in controversy over the use of (gasp) electric instruments. James Mangold, who directed the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, also did the honors here. The cast also includes Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie and Stephen Carter Carlsen as Paul Stookey, among others. The title is drawn from a key line in Dylan’s 1965 classic “Like a Rolling Stone.”

The Doors (1991)

Worldwide gross: $34.5 million

Director: Oliver Stone

Music: The Doors

Notes: Val Kilmer starred as The Doors’ charismatic lead singer Jim Morrison in this film that was directed by Oliver Stone, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film also starred Kyle MacLachlan as keyboardist Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as lead guitarist Robby Krieger and Kevin Dillon as drummer John Densmore. The film followed Morrison from his days as a UCLA film student to his untimely death in Paris at age 27 in 1971. The film shared its title with the title of The Doors’ classic 1967 debut album. The soundtrack reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.

Selena (1997)

Worldwide gross: $35.8 million

Director: Gregory Nava

Music: Dave Grusin

Notes: Rising star Jennifer Lopez starred as Tejano music star Selena, who rose from cult status to performing at the Houston Astrodome. The film includes her shocking murder at age 23 at the hands of former fan club president Yolanda Saldívar. The soundtrack reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200.

Shine (1996)

Worldwide gross: $36 million

Director: Scott Hicks

Music: David Hirschfelder

Notes: Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for best actor for playing pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a mental breakdown and spent years in institutions. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture. The soundtrack reached No. 59 on the Billboard 200.

Funny Lady (1975)

Worldwide gross: $39 million

Director: Herbert Ross

Music: John Kander, Fred Ebb, Peter Matz

Notes: This was the less-celebrated, but still popular, sequel to 1968’s Funny Girl. Barbra Streisand reprised her Oscar-winning role as Fanny Brice and James Caan played showman Billy Rose. The film spawned an Oscar-nominated song, “How Lucky Can You Get.” The film soundtrack reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200.

What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993)

Image Credit: D. Stevens / ©Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

Worldwide gross: $39.1 million

Director: Brian Gibson

Music: Stanley Clarke

Notes: Angela Bassett received an Oscar nomination for best actress for playing the indomitable Tina Turner in this biopic. Laurence Fishburne received an Oscar nod for best actor for playing her abusive husband Ike Turner. The film drew its title from Turner’s biggest hit, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in 1984 and won Grammys for record and song of the year. The film soundtrack reached No. 17 on the Billboard 200 and spawned a top 10 hit on the Hot 100, “I Don’t Wanna Fight.”

Notorious (2009)

Worldwide gross: $44.4 million

Director: George Tillman Jr.

Music: Danny Elfman

Notes: Jamal Woolard starred as Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. The Notorious B.I.G.) in this biopic. After rising to the top of the rap music world, Biggie was shot to death at age 24 in 1997. Angela Bassett, Derek Luke and Anthony Mackie also starred in the film. The soundtrack reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200.

Judy (2019)

Worldwide gross: $46 million

Director: Rupert Goold

Music: Gabriel Yared

Notes: Renée Zellweger won an Oscar for best actress for playing Judy Garland in this film. The irony: Garland never won a competitive Oscar, despite two nominations, one in the same category in which Zellweger won. Judy wasn’t a standard biopic, but a look at the last year of her life, when she arrived in London in the winter of 1968 to perform a series of sold-out concerts. Zellweger was nominated for a Grammy for the soundtrack, in the category of best traditional pop vocal album.

Amadeus (1984)

Worldwide gross: $52 million

Director: Miloš Forman

Notes: Tom Hulce received an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but lost to F. Murray Abraham, who had the showier role as Antonio Salieri, who was insanely jealous of Mozart’s talent. The film received 11 Oscar nominations and won eight awards, including best picture and best director for Miloš Forman. Peter Shaffer also won best adapted screenplay for adapting his stage play, which had won five Tony Awards in 1981. The double-disc soundtrack, credited to conductor/arranger Neville Marriner, reached No. 56 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best classical album.

Funny Girl (1968)

Worldwide gross: $52.2 million

Director: William Wyler

Music: Jule Styne, Bob Merrill

Notes: Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for her motion picture debut in which she played Fanny Brice, a top star of the vaudeville era. “My Man” and “I’d Rather Be Blue,” both featured in Funny Girl, were hits for Brice in the 1920s. Streisand won best actress in a tie (still the only one in the history of the category) with Katharine Hepburn, who won for The Lion in Winter. “Hello, gorgeous,” Streisand began her speech, before graciously adding: “And I’m very honored to be in such magnificent company as Katharine Hepburn.” Funny Girl received eight nominations, including best picture and best original song for “Funny Girl.” The film soundtrack reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 and spent more than two years on the chart.

La Bamba (1987)

Image Credit: © Columbia/courtesy Everett Collection

Worldwide gross: $54.2 million

Director: Luis Valdez

Music: Carlos Santana, Miles Goodman

Notes: Lou Diamond Phillips starred as Chicano music star Ritchie Valens who died at age 17 in the same plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper. The film is titled after a Mexican folk song, which Valens completely transformed with his rock and roll rendition in 1958. Valens’ version reached No. 22 on the Hot 100 in 1959. (It was not his biggest hit. That was “Donna,” which reached No. 2.) The film soundtrack, credited to Los Lobos, topped the Billboard 200 for two weeks in 1987. Los Lobos’ zesty recording of “La Bamba” topped the Hot 100 for three weeks and received Grammy nominations for record and song of the year.

All Eyez on Me (2017)

Worldwide gross: $55.7 million

Director: Benny Boom

Music: John Paesano

Notes: Demetrius Shipp Jr. starred as Tupac Shakur in this film, with Jamal Woolard reprising his role as Christopher “The Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace from Notorious. Shipp’s father worked on music videos with 2Pac, who was shot to death in 1996 at age 25. The film drew its title from 2Pac’s 1996 double-disc album, his second to top the Billboard 200.

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022)

Worldwide gross: $59.8 million

Director: Kasi Lemmons

Music: Chanda Dancy

Notes: Naomi Ackie starred in this film, which arrived 10 years after Houston’s shocking death. Stanley Tucci co-starred as Clive Davis, who signed Houston to Arista Records in 1983 when she was just 19. Davis oversaw her tremendous rise but was unable to prevent her tragic fall. The film is titled after Houston’s 1987 single that topped Billboard’s 2023 list of The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List.

Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980)

Worldwide gross: $67.2 million

Director: Michael Apted

Music: Owen Bradley

Notes: Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for best actress for playing country queen Loretta Lynn. The film received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture. Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D’Angelo and Levon Helm had supporting roles. Ernest Tubb, Roy Acuff, and Minnie Pearl made cameo appearances as themselves. The film was based on a 1976 biography of Lynn by George Vecsey also titled Coal Miner’s Daughter. Both the book and the film drew their titles from Lynn’s signature hit, which reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart (as it was called then) in December 1970. The soundtrack reached No. 40 on the Billboard 200.

Jersey Boys (2014)

Worldwide gross: $67.6 million

Director: Clint Eastwood

Music: Bob Gaudio

Notes: Clint Eastwood directed and co-produced this film adaptation of the blockbuster stage musical, which opened on Broadway in 2005. The biopic about The Four Seasons starred John Lloyd Young as Frankie Valli, Erich Bergen as Bob Gaudio, Michael Lomenda as Nick Massi and Vincent Piazza as Tommy DeVito. The film didn’t get nearly as much awards love as the stage musical did. The musical won four Tony Awards including best musical and best actor in a musical for Young. The film didn’t land a single Oscar nod. Valli and Gaudio served as executive producers of the film. The soundtrack reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200.

I Can Only Imagine (2018)

Worldwide gross: $86.1 million

Directors: Andrew & Jon Erwin

Music: Brent McCorkle

Notes: Michael Finley starred as Bart Millard, the lead singer of the contemporary Christian band MercyMe. Millard wrote the title song about his relationship with his father, played by Dennis Quaid. The song reached No. 71 on the Hot 100 and charted for 18 weeks. At the 2018 Dove Awards, the film, which also starred Trace Adkins and Cloris Leachman, won inspirational film of the year.

La Vie En Rose (2019)

Worldwide gross: $87.5 million

Director: Olivier Dahan

Music: Christopher Gunning

Notes: Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for her role as the French singer who recorded the 1947 classic that gave the film its title. The song reached No. 23 on Billboard’s pre-Hot 100 pop chart in 1950. (Piaf also had one Hot 100 entry, “Milord,” in 1961.) The literal translation of “La Vie En Rose” is “Life in Pink,” a figurative reference to rose-colored glasses.

Ray (2004)

Worldwide gross: $124 million

Director: Taylor Hackford

Music: Craig Armstrong

Notes: Jamie Foxx won an Oscar for best actor for playing Ray Charles, the genre-bridging musician who lived up to the label “genius,” which was often bestowed on him. The film received six Oscar nominations, including best picture. Taylor Hackford directed and co-produced the film, and co-conceived the story. The soundtrack reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media.

Bob Marley: One Love (2024)

Worldwide gross: $180.8 million

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Music: Kris Bowers

Notes: “First he changed music. Then he changed the world” was the tagline for this film, which was directed and co-written by Reinaldo Marcus Green. It was based on the life of reggae legend Bob Marley, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s up until his death in 1981. The film starred Kingsley Ben-Adir as Marley, with Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita Marley and James Norton as Island Records founder Chris Blackwell.

Walk the Line (2005)

Worldwide gross: $186.8 million

Director: James Mangold

Music: T Bone Burnett

Notes: Joaquin Phoenix received an Oscar nomination for best actor for playing country legend Johnny Cash, while Reese Witherspoon won best actress for playing his wife, country star June Carter Cash. The film received five Oscar nominations. The screenplay, written by James Mangold (who also directed the film) and Gill Dennis, was based on two Cash autobiographies — 1975’s Man in Black: His Own Story in His Own Words and 1997’s Cash: The Autobiography. The film drew its title from Cash’s 1956 hit, “I Walk the Line.” The soundtrack reached No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and won a Grammy for best compilation soundtrack album for motion picture, television or other visual media.

Rocketman (2019)

Worldwide gross: $195.3 million

Director: Dexter Fletcher

Music: Matthew Margeson

Notes: Taron Egerton won raves for his performance as Elton John, with Jamie Bell playing his collaborator, Bernie Taupin. But the actors were passed over for Oscar nods, while the real thing, Elton and Bernie, won Oscars for best original song for “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.” The film drew its title from John’s 1972 hit, which reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 – his highest ranking to that point. (Many bigger hits were in his future.) The soundtrack reached No. 50 on the Billboard 200.

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

Worldwide gross: $201.6 million

Director: F. Gary Gray

Music: Joseph Trapanese

Notes: Ice Cube was played by his real-life son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., in this N.W.A biopic, which also starred Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella and Aldis Hodge as MC Ren. Paul Giamatti was featured as N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller. The members of N.W.A were involved in the production of the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers. Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, was also a producer, while MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. The film drew its title from N.W.A’s debut album, which reached a new peak on the Billboard 200 (No. 4) following the film’s release. The album had originally peaked at No. 37 in 1989. On Aug. 7, 2015, one week before the film’s release, Dr. Dre released Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre. Though not an official soundtrack, Dre said the album was “inspired by the movie.” It debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Elvis (2022)

Worldwide gross: $288.7 million

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Music: Elliott Wheeler

Notes: Elvis was Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming one of the greatest pop music stars of all time. The film also explored his complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks. In addition to directing the film, Luhrmann co-wrote and co-produced it. This was Luhrmann’s sixth film, following Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), Australia (2008) and The Great Gatsby (2013). The soundtrack, attributed to Elvis Presley and Various Artists, reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Worldwide gross: $910.8 million

Director: Brian Singer

Music: Queen

Notes: Rami Malek won an Oscar for best actor for playing Queen’s charismatic lead singer Freddie Mercury. The film also starred Gwilym Lee as guitarist Brian May, Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor and Joe Mazzello as bassist John Deacon. May and Taylor served as consultants on the film, which focused on the period from the band’s formation in 1970 to their triumphant performance at Live Aid in Wembley Stadium in 1985. The film received five Oscar nominations, including best picture, and won four awards, more than any other film that year. The film drew its title from Queen’s most famous song, which reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 in 1976 and No. 2 in 1992 after it was featured in the box-office smash “Wayne’s World.” The Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

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