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a big modern day Elvis biopic SHOULD have pulled in a billion $ Bohemian Rhapsody style

posted 2 years ago by bozo_500 (12546)
11 replies | jump to latest

esp from Baz 'Moulin Rouge/Gatsby' Luhrmann and co starring Tom Hanks as Col Tom Parker. and has had great reviews (RT - 78%/94% to Boh Rhap 60%/85%). audiences (esp American) shouldve been going again and again and again to lap up the 5 or 6 iconic stages of Elvis' life no expense spared in bringing them to the big screen. Elvis is to music stars what Superman is to superheroes, (and was obviously made in light of Bohemian Rhapsody making near a billion ww.)

but its at around 200m ww atm (similar to what the R rated Elton John biopic made) . and will probably struggle to get to 300m ww (unless it gets Greatest Showman legs).

why??

- competition of Top Gun (an unprecedented mega hit), and Jurassic World? (Boh Rhap was released in the start of Nov 2018 not surrounded by blockbusters until Aquaman in the Dec)

- the whole 'he dosnt look like Elvis' thing when the trailers first hit? (tbf he actually does look like him enough in the finished film right? as much Rami Malek resembled FM anyway) i guess it could be argued that Elvis is SO iconic (and iconic looking) maybe CGI/DF shouldve been used for this particular case? (now that we have the technology). like that couldve been the main draw/hook of the movie that couldve set it apart from other biopics (and previous EP biopics) and made it an unmissable event - come see the actual Elvis!

- the main audience for EP too old to risk going to theatres when still in a pandemic?

- Elvis isnt 'cool' to younger generations the way 80s pop stars are like Freddie Mercury? and hes just too old to relate to/too old fashioned (a similar problem with Superman now, e.g Superman Returns and Synder Superman's box office in comparison to the previously lesser known superheroes making a billion and over)

- theres already been alot of Elvis biopics done already (he last notable one in 2005) making this not so much a big deal?

[–] melissah1982 (883) 2 years ago

I don't think any Elvis movie was going to 'pull in billions.' A lot of your points are valid; the age range that would be interested the most are staying home. My mom loves Elvis; she's waiting for it to be on streaming. We are also dealing with a lot of financial uncertainty so people are starting to pick and choose what they are going to see on big screens. Elvis is literally smack dab in the middle of Top Gun, Jurassic World AND now Thor...add in Minions and other movies parents will be taking their kids too. It's just the way it is. Now...I think this movie might have done better for a Christmas release. Or even waited until August as an anniversary movie...but they may advertise that anyway and there MAY be a resurge in ticket sales due to it.

As for Elvis being cool...I dunno...as an older person (40) perusing the Tik Toks, there are a LOT of younger people constantly posting about the film...maybe it's just the algorithm. Either because they were interested in the actual Elvis or LOVED Butler in the role. Pretty much everyone agrees he was amazing in it and I think this film may have generated a new batch of fans and I love that.

What made me hesitant from seeing the film WAS the director. I didn't like Mulan Rouge and I never saw Gatsby; I don't remember Gatsby being very well received but I didn't care for it so never looked at the numbers. I was more concerned about him adding in modern music to a period bio pic. And it was a very weird movie; it didn't know what it wanted to be. The POV was weird, some of the more important Elvis events were barely touched on, it's linear, it's non-linear...modern music, no modern music. It's abstract, it's a serious documentary...It was a weird movie and I think that turned people off.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and will be seeing it again next week; I am taking my cousin and I am interested to hear his take on it.

[–] melissah1982 (883) 2 years ago

Adding a little more since there's a word count.

Not every bio movie is going to be a historic event. timing is everything I think. One of the most notable and still loved bio pic is Selena. Perhaps because it was released just a few years after her passing so her life was still fresh and in the public eye. Bohemian Rhapsody told the real tragic story of an amazing person and considering it came at a time when the decade was getting a resurgence, it was popular. No one in my family cared about Rocketman. My mom tried watching it and turned it off. She told me about it so I sat down and watched it with her...I loved it. I loved Jersey Boys. I was already a Frankie Valli fan prior to the broadway show and my whole family LOVED the Seasons. My aunt and I would see Frankie live twice a year. it was the first time I ever saw my mom and aunt to go an actual movie theater...and go multiple times!!! And for some reason, I don't think that film did amazing. There's just no telling what the audience is going to be in the mood for. I still think it would have done better around Christmas season.

[–] bozo_500 (12546) 2 years ago

Yeah a Christmas release would've been better, or maybe Nov to avoid Avatar 2 (like Boh Rhap avoided Aquaman)

[–] MartyDeniro (4119) 2 years ago

No musician biopic has ever made the $ Bohemian Rhapsody made. It's a unicorn.

https://www.billboard.com/lists/top-grossing-music-biopics-movies/

[–] moviefanman (17) 2 years ago

Taking a guess, most young people can't relate/connect to rock and roll and his gospel type ballads. Musical taste has changed a lot since the invention of the internet and streaming. Rock and roll ended in the 60s.

Would Elvis Presley be a big star in the streaming era? Probably, but his music would sound completely different. Elvis was considered the king of rock and roll. The king of streaming songs doesn't sound quite as cool.

[–] melissah1982 (883) 2 years ago

I will admit, what I love seeing about this movie; and many biopics...but this one especially, is seeing the resurgence of Elvis in the media and seeing younger people be exposed to his music. I'm 40 so in my middle school/high school years (19994-2000) I was big into oldies music. I found the Monkees and was hooked. The Beatles, Elvis, Frankie Valli, all of it was all I listened to. I hated not being into popular music but I liked what I liked. And as I started to get older, and seeing people younger than me not know those groups, It really saddened me. People may not know The Monkees but the Beatles? that didn't make sense to me.

Now, I see Tik tok and Youtube full of reaction videos for Elvis music from the younger people. Many of them turning into the movie for Austin Butler and leaving with Elvis and that makes me really happy. I watched someone do a reaction video to his live 'Burning Love' video where he's in his white jump suit and was completely enthralled by it. No laughs or joking at how ridiculous it was or out of touch or corny; no...they looked at the video like they just watched the coolest thing in the world. They are reacting to his movie clips and buying merchandise and I love it. And what is really interesting is seeing that it's the actual Elvis they are buying, not Butler's Elvis. they are actually loving the real Elvis and you can't ask for anything more than that.

So, yea...maybe the movie doesn't hit Bohemian Rhapsody numbers but it doesn't matter but the movie did it's job in bringing Elvis back into the main stream and introducing him to the younger generation. And Austin Butler...chef's kiss. He made me so happy with the dedication and amount of research he did.

[–] alexjohans0n (2094) 2 years ago

$ 1.4 Billion

[–] Tyler1986 (235) 2 years ago

It's a shame, Baz just missed the mark on this one.

[–] bozo_500 (12546) 2 years ago

285m final total (150m domestic so actually not far off Boh Rhaps 215m domestic)

[–] melissah1982 (883) 2 years ago

good to hear. I was hoping to see it one more time in the theaters before it left but it looks like today is the last day and the theater is playing it at a weird time. But that's ok. 12 is enough. I have it on HBO and got my pre-ordered blu Ray Tuesday. It's been a really fun Elvis filled summer. Glad to see it received so well.

[–] TheArgentinian (6651) 2 years ago

Pandemic.