Almost 60 years after leaving his movie star career behind, Elvis Presley is once again a box office success.
Following Baz Luhrmann's 2022 “Elvis” and Sofia Coppola's 2023 “Priscilla,” the King of Rock 'n' Roll cracked the top 10 at the box office for the third time in less than four years.
Luhrmann's hybrid concert/documentary film, “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” placed fifth domestically and grossed a total of $8.5 million worldwide during its first weekend of release. So far, the screenings have raised around $14 million in total.
The film, screening in more than 5,000 locations, ranked below “Scream 7” and “Goat,” which topped the box office. “EPiC” marks the third biggest documentary debut of all time, ahead of “One Direction: This Is Us” (2013) and “Michael Jackson's This Is It” (2009).
The strong debut is the latest sign that music-themed documentaries and concert films remain a box office draw for dedicated fans and regular moviegoers alike, even as studios focus on developing biopics of famous musicians like the Beatles and Michael Jackson.
“What we are seeing with the advent of a life that is lived so much online and looking at phones is that young people particularly long to participate in groups, to go to an event, and musical films are an event in themselves,” Luhrmann said in a statement. “What's so rewarding is seeing young audiences, even some who don't know who Elvis is, clapping, singing and dancing in front of the screen. I think we'll see a lot more musical event cinema in the future.”
The cinematic tribute to the King of Rock 'n' Roll was made entirely with never-before-seen footage.
(Neon)
Luhrmann's most recent cinematic tribute to the Memphis-raised rock star was made entirely from never-before-seen footage. The “Romeo and Juliet” director's research team stumbled upon these never-before-seen images in an underground salt mine in Kansas while making the 2022 biopic starring Austin Butler. “EPiC” follows Presley as he returns to live music at his Las Vegas residency after his stint as an actor.
The one hour and 36 minute feature, which reportedly cost around $10 million to make, began its limited release on February 20 and premiered in 325 locations. It also had a one-week run in IMAX, making it the highest-grossing week for a documentary in IMAX.
Elissa Federoff, head of distribution for Neon, which is handling domestic distribution of the film, said audiences are connecting with “EPiC” because “it offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Elvis at his peak.”
“The big screen environment takes it to the next level. Audiences of all ages can immerse themselves in these incredible performances, and doing so with friends, family and a packed theater makes it unforgettable,” Federoff added. “That's the power of musical films: They transform movie theaters into spaces for extraordinary, shared experiences.”
“EPiC” is the latest addition to music's growing presence in movie theaters. Last year, screenings of several music documentaries and concert films managed to gross a couple of million dollars at the box office. “It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley” grossed nearly $1.5 million, “Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii” grossed $6.4 million and Sony Pictures' “Becoming Led Zeppelin” grossed more than $14.6 million worldwide, according to worldwide data from Box Office Mojo.
Marc Allenby, chief executive of Trafalgar Releasing, a UK company focused on the distribution of film musicals, says Taylor Swift has helped accelerate the popularity of film musicals.
In 2023, the singer released the concert film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” in theaters, earning more than $260 million worldwide. (Trafalgar helped distribute the film to audiences outside the US and Canada.) Last year, Swift also hosted screenings of her latest album, “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” which grossed $50 million worldwide.
Trafalgar has expanded its offering to meet demand. Last year, the company released 39 films, up from 27 in 2019. Another Trafalgar documentary, “Twenty One Pilots: More Than We Ever Imagined,” came in fourth place last weekend, with $3.7 million in ticket sales.
“EPiC” follows Presley as he returns to live music at his Las Vegas residency after his stint as an actor.
(Neon)
“Live music is an enduring property… as long as there is a music industry, there will be an event film industry to support it,” Allenby said. “There's kind of an increased interest in the potential of what bringing new audiences to the cinema can do, both in terms of revenue and viewership. But expanding what a cinema is: is it an entertainment center or a cultural center.”
At one of the first IMAX screenings last week, fans in reclining seats danced and applauded audibly inside AMC's Century City theater, while Presley looked as clear and sweaty as ever.
“It's like a live concert. We went to the Prince's anniversary. [“Prince: Sign o’ the Times” returned to theaters in August] and everyone sang too. I like sharing in a community space,” said film buff Rachel Bailit. “It's very alive. It's like going to a stadium.”
His friend John Lacy added: “It's more affordable than a concert. I'd rather be in a live venue. But that opportunity doesn't come around very often. There's nothing like the live experience. But there's a lot to be said for sitting in a theater with people.”
Amanda Walencewicz, another attendee, said she will go see any concert movie in theaters since they are her favorite film genre. She says musical movies also cause her listening habits to change.
“When you go to see a music biopic or a documentary, you forget how many hits some artists have. It makes you want to listen to their music in the car on the way home,” Walencewicz said.
The correlation between listening to an artist's music after watching a documentary or concert film is not unique to the movie experience. When documentaries on streaming platforms gain traction, artists often see an increase in listeners as well.
When “Becoming Led Zeppelin” hit Netflix last year, it became the most-watched music documentary on all streaming platforms. The documentary brought the British rock band's global streams to their highest weekly peak at the time, reaching 40.4 million. Led Zeppelin broadcasts also maintained a new baseline average of 38 million per week through January, up 16% from the previous period.
Over the course of its limited release and one week on Imax, there was a “slight increase” in listens to Presley's catalog both nationally and in the Los Angeles area, according to music data analyst Luminate.
And Luhrmann isn't done with the story of America's most famous rock 'n' roll star yet. While planning a screening of “EPiC” at the Las Vegas Sphere, the Australian also plans to adapt Presley's life into a stage production, similar to what he did with “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
