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 US$30.5 million (RM134.3 million) in a rare tie with Top Gun: Maverick, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.
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.
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 US$30.5 million in its fifth weekend of release.
It is now the highest grossing film of the year worldwide, breaking the US$1 billion mark with nearly US$522 million in ticket sales in North America and US$484 million overseas.
In third place was Jurassic World Dominion, Universal's sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, at US$26.4 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 US$23.4 million on its opening weekend.
Lightyear, Pixar and Disney's latest computer-animated offering from the Toy Story empire, took the fifth position with US$17.7 million in its second week.
The spinoff from the wildly successful animation series stars Chris Evans and has taken US$88.8 million domestically and US$63 million overseas, after a lackluster opening. – The Vibes, June 27, 2022
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