‘Elvis’ crowned king of the box office, dethrones ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

The box office reign of “Top Gun: Maverick” is headed to the Heartbreak Hotel after Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” biopic knocked the action flick out of the number one spot.

Despite shaky reviews, outside of Austin Butler’s turn as the titular rock ‘n’ roller, “Elvis” took in $31.1 million at U.S. theaters to the legacy sequel’s $29.6 million total in its fifth weekend of release. However, the film also became the first Tom Cruise movie to sell more than $1 billion in tickets.

Austin Butler in a scene from "Elvis." (Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures/)

The numbers were adjusted late Monday after initially being reported as a tie.

The film, which co-stars Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ Svengali-like manager, had the second-highest opening weekend of a music biopic since the Freddie Mercury-centered “Bohemian Rhapsody” opened with $51.1 million in 2018. “Elvis” outgrossed the first weekend of “Rocketman,” the 2019 Elton John picture which opened with $25.7 million.

Tom Hanks memorably contracted COVID-19 during the early days of the movie’s production in Australia in March 2020.

Luhrmann said Hanks committed to the role after talking for about 20 minutes.

“I told him about the toxic relationship between Col. Tom Parker and Elvis, and honestly 20 minutes in, he just turned to me and said, ‘Well, if you want me, I’m your guy.’ I walked out and honestly I said to my guys, ‘Did he just say yes?’ And he did, and he never looked back.”

With News Wire Services