Warner Bros.’ biopic Elvis — starring Austin Butler as the King of Rock and Roll — started off its domestic box office run with $3.5 million in Thursday previews.
Blumhouse and Universal’s latest horror offering, The Black Phone, also began opening on Thursday and wasn’t far behind Elvis, ringing up $3 million in previews (horror is often frontloaded).
More than two years into the pandemic, it’s going to look like an almost normal summer at the multiplex this weekend between the two new movies and holdovers Top Gun: Maverick — which continues to make headlines as it jumps the $500 million mark in North America — Jurassic World Dominion and Lightyear.
Warner Bros. and tracking suggest that Elvis will open to $25 million or more. The Elvis Presley biopic, which made its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, currently holds an 81 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes (that’s actually behind Black Phone, which sits at 87 percent). Tom Hanks plays music manager Colonel Tom Parker in the movie, while Olivia DeJonge (The Visit) portrays Priscilla Presley,
Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, needs older adults to turn out in force. Unless it overperforms, it could lose the weekend to Top Gun: Maverick or Jurassic World Dominion (or both).
From Paramount and Skydance, the Top Gun sequel could shoot past $30 million in its fifth weekend, thanks to being rereleased in select Imax and premium format screens. The film, which earlier this week crossed the $900 million mark globally, will achieve yet another milestone today or tomorrow when it becomes only the second Hollywood release of the pandemic era to fly past $500 million domestically. (Last year’s Spider-Man: No Way Home earned $804.7 million in North America.)
Universal and Amblin’s Jurassic World Dominion could also earn close to $30 million as it approaches $700 million mark in worldwide ticket sales.
Black Phone, directed by Scott Derrickson, has the advantage of being the only horror movie on the marquee, and is tracking to open in the $15 million to $20 million range. The pic stars Mason Thames as a boy who receives supernatural help in his attempts to escape a serial killer played by Ethan Hawke.
Disney and Pixar are hoping that Lightyear holds well in its second outing since it is the only PG choice for families. The animated film opened to a subdued $51 million last weekend, losing the weekend to Jurassic World.