Baz Luhrmann isn’t quite done telling the story of Elvis Presley. Sure, the Austin Butler-starring biopic was a resounding box office success, but it’s about time the king of rock and roll tells his story in his own words. This time, Luhrmann has created a part documentary, part concert film with footage of Presley long thought to be lost.
Having premiered earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival, this is the first wide release of the film, with a dedicated IMAX run set for February 20th ahead of a wider theatrical release on February 27th, 2026.
In Owen Gleiberman’s Variety review of the film’s premiere in September, it’s revealed that Luhrmann was originally going to incorporate the footage into his 2022 film, but decided against it. This was a treasure trove of 68 boxes of 35mm and 8mm concert and rehearsal footage in the Warner Bros. archives, including outtakes from Elvis: “That’s the Way It Is” (1970) and “Elvis on Tour” (1972), the two major Elvis concert films, plus audiotapes of unheard interviews.
You see every side of Presley’s performances in the trailer, with the opening of Presley nervously tapping his feet behind the curtain before his first Vegas show to the tune of Strauss’ “Also sprach Zarathustra,” and triumphantly ending on a sweaty, seemingly post-concert, smile flashed at the camera while the bombastic finale of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” plays on.
Gleiberman declared the film to be among the greatest concerts you can remember, saying, “The movie is a revelation, because for 96 minutes it shows you just how intoxicating Elvis Presley was when he began to perform live in Las Vegas in 1969 and the early ’70s. Many don’t quite think of him that way.”
“There’s still a mythology hanging over Elvis during this period — the Vegas glitter, the white suit with the half-sun cape, the giant finger rings and the car-grille sunglasses, the “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”-from-“2001” bombastic musical intros, the sweat pouring off his shag-carpet sideburns, the onstage karate moves. It can all add up to a vision of the king of rock ‘n’ roll presiding over a kingdom of kitsch.”
“EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” releases in IMAX on February 20, 2026, and wider theatres on February 27. Watch the trailer below.
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