Director Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of Elvis Presley, the ostentatious and over-the-top Elvis, added $11 million at the domestic box office in its third weekend of release, and another $8.7 million from overseas territories to take its global haul to $155.1 million. This is a solid performance by the lengthy adult-skewing drama, reportedly budgeted at $85 million.
Starring relative newcomer Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll, and Tom Hanks as his controversial manager Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis is an over two-and-a-half hour long cradle-to-the-grave-style biopic that squeezes in virtually every important moment in the icon’s life. The reviews have been largely positive — the film received a splashy premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival — but many have criticized it for its length, and for Luhrmann's decision to tell Elvis’ story from the perspective of Parker, essentially his adversary.
Elvis’ solid performance at the global box office marks a welcome return of dramas aimed at older audiences. Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci was a comparable title, but that film tapped out internationally with about exactly as much as Elvis' current haul. Other high-profile films targeted at adults, such as King Richard and West Side Story, notoriously bombed, as did Scott’s other 2021 release, the historical epic The Last Duel.
This is Luhrmann’s first film since his 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby, which legged it to over $350 million worldwide, thanks mostly to Leonardo DiCaprio’s star power. Elvis is also one of the final theatrically released Warner Bros. pictures to have begun production before the pandemic. Hanks, if you recall, became one of the first celebrities to test positive for COVID-19 while filming Elvis in Australia.
The film is currently playing in 56 overseas markets, and has South Korea scheduled for July 13, and all of Latin America slated for July 14. While it might not match The Great Gatsby’s worldwide haul, anything over $100 million domestically should be considered a massive win. You can watch Elvis in theaters, and read the film’s official synopsis down below:
Elvis’s story is seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Hanks). As told by Parker, the film delves into the complex dynamic between the two spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America. Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).