‘Elvis’ Surpasses ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ Becomes The No.1 Movie In North America

Elvis is No.1 at the box office in North America.

The critically acclaimed film was neck and neck with Top Gun: Maverick, but ultimately became the No. 1 movie this weekend with a $31.1 million opening from 3,906 theaters its opening weekend, according to Variety. Top Gun: Maverick accumulated $29.6 million from 3,948 theaters in its fifth weekend in theaters. This is Warner Bros.’ third No. 1 opening this year so far, following The Batman ($134M) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ($42.1M).

June 24^th, the opening weekend for Elvis, brought in $6 million more than the estimated $25 million in ticket sales. The film, starring Austin Butler playing the role of Elvis, shows the story of the King of Rock N’ Roll’s early life and rise to fame all from the point of view of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, played by Tom Hanks.

Both the iconic movies battled for the No. 1 spot over the weekend, as Elvis took the lead on Friday, but dropped to second place on Saturday. On Sunday, the films tied for first place in North America – each movie earning an estimated $30.5 million from Friday to Sunday.

Top Gun: Maverick stars Tom Cruise and is entering its fifth week at the box office, is the first film to surpass $1 billion. Elvis had an $85 million budget – just to be made, not including the distribution and marketing costs. To turn a profit, the film must remain in theaters throughout the summer.

For the first time since the pandemic, four movies – Elvis, Top Gun: Maverick, The Black Phone ($23.3 million), and Jurassic World Dominion ($26.4 million) – each grossed at least $20 million over the weekend. The new Disney Pixar film, Lightyear, came in at $17 million.