Elvis gyrates past Top Gun: Maverick by $1 million at the weekend box office

After a heated battle for box office supremacy, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis swiveled its hips past Top Gun: Maverick by $1 million in North America. Over the weekend, Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick were in close competition with one another for the top spot, with both films performing admirably across the board. Elvis was in the top position on Friday but fell to second place on Saturday. On Sunday, Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick tied for first place in North America, with an estimated weekend total of $30.5 million a piece.

The final results arrived on Monday, with Elvis gyrating to $31.1 million from 3,906 cinemas, while Top Gun: Maverick soared with $29.6 million from 3,948 theaters. While Maverick continues to fly high at the box office, Elvis‘ box office draw is slightly more surprising. The core demographic for a movie based on the King of Rock and Roll isn’t the kind who flock to theaters on an opening weekend. However, Elvis has received good word of mouth, and Baz Luhrmann’s directing style makes for an outrageous experience on the big screen. Between Elvis’ legendary reputation and influence in the Rock and Roll community and Luhrmann’s flair for the visually dramatic, it’s no wonder the film is performing well.

As for Top Gun: Maverick, the Tom Cruise-led sequel has been flying first class since its theatrical debut. The film’s success is not only a tribute to Cruise’s star power but also to the meticulous care paid toward the movie. Everyone I’ve spoken to who has seen Top Gun: Maverick has raved about it, describing it as one of the year’s best films. Maverick currently sits atop $1.006 billion worldwide and still has a ways to go.

At the end of what felt like a very long weekend, theater owners are pleased to have so much foot traffic in their venues again. The pandemic has not been kind to movie outlets, though it appears people will show up when you give them something worth the silver screen experience. I hope the trend continues, and we continue to move closer to pack houses for great films.