Elvis' lives! Biopic puts the King back in spotlight in theatres

Elvis' lives! Biopic puts the King back in spotlight in theatresBaz Luhrmann's Elvis' has knocked down Top Gun: Maverick' by $1 million in a heated Box office battle, during its opening weekend

by Agence France-Presse

28-06-2022 15:15

in Entertainment

Photo taken on 31 May, 2022, US actor Austin Butler poses on the red carpet upon arrival to attend the UK special Screening of Elvis at the BFI Southbank, in London. Baz Luhrmann's rock'n'roll biopic Elvis hip-swiveled to the top of the box office on its opening weekend in North America, taking in an estimated $30.5 million in a rare tie with Top Gun: Maverick, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported on 26 June, 2022. Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

Baz Luhrmann's rock'n'roll biopic Elvis hip-swiveled to the top of the box office on its opening weekend in North America, taking in an estimated $30.5 million (about R489 million) in a rare tie with Top Gun: Maverick, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

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The nearly three-hour long extravaganza by director Luhrmann, known for glitzy films like Moulin Rouge! and The Great Gatsby, brought in nearly double the average for the musical biography genre, said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.

Despite being a risky proposition, in part for casting relative newcomer Austin Butler as Elvis Presley alongside Tom Hanks as his exploitative manager, Colonel Tom Parker, the film has impressed audiences and critics, Gross said.

This is the Baz Luhrmann show, a music, dance and sex appeal spectacular it's a hit,

he said. ALSO READ: Menswear spectacle and innovation rock Paris Fashion Week catwalk

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ELVIS' BACK IN SPOTLIGHT Elvis was locked in a dead heat with Top Gun: Maverick the crowd-pleasing sequel to the original 1986 film that once again features Tom Cruise as cocky Navy test pilot Pete Maverick Mitchell.

It also earned an estimated $30.5 million (about R489 million) in its fifth weekend of release.

It is now the highest grossing film of the year worldwide, breaking the $1 billion mark with nearly $522 million (about R8.4 billion) in ticket sales in North America and $484 million overseas.

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In third place was Jurassic World Dominion, Universal's sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, at $26.4 million (about R423.4 million).

The latest dinosaur frightfest stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard alongside franchise originals Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum.

Fourth spot went to horror film The Black Phone starring Ethan Hawke as a serial killer, which earned $23.4 million (about R375.5 million) on its opening weekend.

Lightyear, Pixar and Disney's latest computer-animated offering from the Toy Story empire, took the fifth position with $17.7 million (about R284 million) in its second week.

The spinoff from the wildly successful animation series stars Chris Evans and has taken $88.8 million (about R1.4 billion) domestically and $63 million (about R1 billion) overseas, after a lackluster opening.

ALSO READ: No snakes on this plane: reptile smugglers arrested at Thai airport

ROUNDING OUT THE TOP 10 Rounding out the top 10 were:

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness ($1.7 million) = (about R27 million)

Jugjugg Jeeyo ($604 000) = (about R9.7 million)

Everything Everywhere All At Once ($533 346) = (R8.5 million)

The Bob's Burgers Movie ($513 000) = (about R8.2 million)

The Bad Guys ($440 000) = (about R7 million)

Agence France-Presse

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