Warner Bros. is giving Elvis a big awards season push by bringing it back to theaters just in time for Elvis Presley‘s birthday on Jan. 8. The film will play in 10 cities for free that day, all with new introductions from star Austin Butler and director Baz Luhrmann. There will also be a special 2 p.m. screening at Graceland in Memphis.
The film will be screened for free at AMC Phipps Plaza in Atlanta; AMC River East in Chicago; Dallas’ ABC NorthPark; AMC Town Center in Kansas City, Kansas; AMC Burbank in Los Angeles; Loews 34th Street in New York City; AMC Metreon in San Francisco; Toronto’s Cineplex Scotiabank; and Cineplex Odeon International Village in Vancouver. All screenings will start at 5 p.m. local time, reports Deadline. The Los Angeles screening will start at 4 p.m.
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Elvis is also available to stream on HBO Max. Just A Boy from Tupelo: Bringing Elvis to the Big Screen, a 30-minute special about the making of the movie, will be released on Jan. 8. SiriusXM will also re-air the Elvis cast town hall from Jan. 6 to 8 on Elvis Radio. Luhrmann, Butler, Tom Hanks, and Olivia DeJonge took part in the town hall.
“We are so appreciative of the audiences of all ages who came out to see the movie in theaters, and to Warner Bros. and exhibitors who took on what was certainly not a sure bet,” Luhrmann said in a statement to Deadline. “A big thank you to audiences who made Elvis the number one original title of 2022 and especially to Elvis’s fans-both old and new.The entire Elvis team, along with Graceland and the Presleys themselves, have been listening to you all and working diligently to come up with these very special gifts in celebration of Elvis on his birthday.”
Presley was born on Jan. 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. He died on Aug. 16, 1977, at 42. The King of Rock and Roll remains a major pop culture fixture, as seen by the enormous success of Elvis. It was the highest-grossing original movie of 2022, grossing $286 million worldwide. The movie is expected to be a big player during the awards season. It was already nominated for Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director for Luhrmann, and Best Actor – Drama for Butler at the Golden Globes.
“No one was more appreciative of his fans than Elvis, as evidenced by the pilgrimage so many make to Graceland every year,” Joel Weinshanker, the managing partner and majority owner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, said. “That’s why we are especially thrilled to partner with Warner Bros. on the occasion of Elvis Presley’s birthday, to add to our robust lineup for fans the gift of Baz Luhrmann’s incomparable film Elvis – whether they are seeing it for the first time or, as we suspect, able to repeat the big screen experience they’ve undoubtedly been hoping for.”
