Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, a biopic about the profligate, tragic life of legendary singer Elvis Presley has just grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office, doing so without relying on dinosaurs, superheroes, or epic fight jets.
But that's not its only achievement, as the film has made over $65 million at the international box office and has boosted Elvis' music to the top of the charts resulting in a cross-genre reverberation from dance to hip-hop and more, and sales of the Elvis Presley catalog rising, with streaming of his music up 90%, according to a press release from Warner Bros. Pictures.
The film tells the story of Elvis (Austin Butler) through the lens of his, at times abusive, complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The film spans 20 years' worth of the singer's life, detailing Presley's rise to fame, his unprecedented stardom, and the consequences that come with it, like over exhaustion and the effects of overindulging in vices.
"Elvis continues to drive box office in part because younger audiences—none of whom were born during Elvis’s lifetime—are embracing the film and leading the enthusiastic social media conversation," the press release read.
The film's soundtrack is topping Billboard's chart, with Doja Cat's "Vegas" currently at #7 on the U.S. Spotify chart and #14 on Billboard's, but the singer is generating most of his buzz on TikTok—where "engagement has more than doubled since the film's release." The release cited 238 million views of Elvis-related content on the platform.
"We are not only pleased to cross this milestone, but truly thrilled to see it happen with a film like Elvis […] to see a non-branded IP with an up-and-coming lead create not just box office noise but also result in a significant spike in other areas is so gratifying and speaks to the quality of the film on every level," said Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution. "With strong playability, positive word of mouth and cross-generational multiple viewings, we expect Elvis to continue to deliver."
You can find IGN's review of Elvis right here.
Diego Ramos Bechara is a Freelance Writer for IGN, and he's a fan of all things Star Wars, Rockstar, Naughty Dog and Batman.
You can follow him on Twitter @DRamosBechara.