Between Friday and Sunday, the Baz Luhrmann-directed film ("Moulin Rouge," "The Great Gatsby") raked in $30.5 million, nearly twice the average for musical biopics, according to expert David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
It was a "risky gamble" to cast the relatively unknown Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, alongside Tom Hanks as his abusive impresario, Colonel Tom Parker, but the film is a hit with audiences as well. than among film critics, added the expert.
"Elvis" found itself tied with "Top Gun: Maverick" which continues to panic the counters by also winning 30.5 million dollars at the box office for its fifth week of operation.
The sequel to "Top Gun", thirty-six years later, has been hailed by critics.
Tom Cruise still plays US Navy test pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, now a captain, who must train younger pilots to bomb a rogue country's uranium enrichment plant.
"Top Gun: Maverick" is now the biggest box office hit of the year worldwide, with total box office grossing exceeding $1 billion: $522 million in the North American market and $484 million in the rest of the world.
"Jurassic World: The World After", the sixth installment of the cult saga of dinosaurs, comes in third place with $26.4 million in revenue.
It's "Black Phone", a horror film starring Ethan Hawke as a serial killer, which comes in fourth place for the weekend of its release, with $ 23.4 million in revenue .
A week after its release, "Buzz Lightyear" ranks fifth, with $17.7 million in revenue over the weekend.
Here is the rest of the Top 10:
6 - "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" ($1.7 million)
7 - "Jugjugg Jeeyo" ($604,000)
8 - "Everything Everywhere All at Once" ($533,000)
9 - "Bob's Burgers: The Movie" ($513,000)
10 - "The Bad Guys" ($440,000)
© 2022 AFP