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3w ago

Elvis Concert Film ‘EPiC’ Hits $14 Million After Record IMAX Week

Built from newly digitized 1970 Las Vegas footage recovered from MGM vaults, the film presents Presley’s performances without AI reconstruction.

Elvis Presley in the movie "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert." (Courtesy Neon/TNS)
In "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert" filmmaker Baz Luhrmann used hours of never before seen film and audio of Elvis Presley performing in Las Vegas in 1970 and cities around the United States in 1972 to let Elvis tell his own story in a way that’s never before been done. (Film still courtesy of Neon)

Overview

  • The film placed fifth domestically in its first wide-release weekend, earning $8.5 million globally for that frame.
  • Cumulative grosses are about $14 million, with screenings in more than 5,000 locations worldwide and the third-biggest documentary opening on record.
  • The source material comes from never-before-seen 1970 Las Vegas reels found in a Kansas salt-mine archive of MGM negatives and rushed to digitization due to decay.
  • Baz Luhrmann says the restoration avoided AI and computer imaging, focusing on archival authenticity and sound quality.
  • Following a Feb. 20 limited launch and a one-week IMAX engagement that set a documentary record, Neon’s rollout continues as Luhrmann explores a Las Vegas Sphere screening and a stage adaptation.