Bohemian Rhapsody: Can Rami Malek REALLY win an Oscar for Freddie Mercury role?

The actor has been well received for his performance in the biopic, despite lukewarm reviews for the movie in general. Malek already has a Golden Globe nod to his name, and will find out the result of the race in the New Year. But can Oscars glory follow?

It’s certainly seeming more and more likely.

Responding to speculation and backing from punters, several bookmakers have cut the odds of the 37-year-old winning Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

In fact, with Betfred, he is the 3/1 joint second-favourite, alongside Christian Bale.

And Ladbrokes have also shortened his odds, down to 7/2 from 5/1.

The only two actors ahead of him, according to bookies, are Bradley Cooper of A Star Is Born (4/7 with Ladbrokes) and Bale.

The other competitors at this stage seem to be Green Book star Viggo Mortensen (6/1), Willem Dafoe for At Eternity’s Gate (20/1) and Ethan Hawke for First Reformed (20/1).

So can Malek genuinely go all the way? It’s certainly not unheard-of for an actor’s performance to outshine the movie they were in. And momentum certainly seems to be on his side.

But it remains to be seen whether the Academy will take Bohemian Rhapsody seriously and not stick purely with the select few movies that are making waves in more categories.

As of yesterday, Bohemian Rhapsody has made $184.7 million in the US, and a total of $666.9 million worldwide.

It has already surpassed Straight Outta Compton as the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time, despite a tepid 62% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Malek’s co-stars include Gwilym Lee as Brian May, Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, Joe Mazzello as John Deacon and Lucy Boynton as Mary Austin.

Bohemian Rhapsody is out now.