Elvis Narrowly Beats Top Gun: Maverick for Top Spot at Weekend Box Office

By Jamie Lovett

Elvis managed to pull out a box office victory over Top Gun: Maverick in a tight race this weekend. Top Gun: Maverick, which previously spent two weeks atop the box office before Jurassic World Dominion stomped in. On the same weekend that it crossed $1 billion at the global box office, the Top Gun sequel soared back and competed for the top spot at the domestic box office, staying neck and neck with Elvis. However, with all sales counted, Elvis has managed to pull ahead. The film will take the top spot in its opening weekend, but just barely. Elvis earned $31.1 million in its first three days, while Top Gun: Maverick came in just behind with $29.6 million.

Elvis has done decently with fans and critics. According to the synopsis for the Elvis Presley biopic, "From his rise to fame to his unprecedented superstardom, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley maintains a complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker, over the course of 20 years. Central to Presley's journey and happiness is one of the most influential people in his life -- Priscilla."  The film stars Austin Butler as Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks as Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker. It also stars Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Samuel, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Luke Bracey, and is directed by Baz Luhrmann. 

Top Gun: Maverick has been called one of the best blockbusters in years. ComicBook.com's Spencer Perry awarded the film a 4.5-out-of-5 review score. He writes:

"Top Gun: Maverick is a movie that is satisfying on the narrative level, in a visual sense, and when accounting for what the movie is actually about. The film is the rare sequel that outdoes the original in every way, delivering the ultimate theatrical experience that will have audiences convinced they've just hit crossed Mach 5 themselves."

In Top Gun: Maverick, starring Tom Cruise, "After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it."

Elvis and Top Gun: Maverick are both playing in theaters now.

Trending Now: