EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert

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EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Promotional poster for EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. A close-up on half of Presley's face, his eyes glistening and his mouth partly open in a moment of deep performance. There are sparkles and jewels, akin to one of his signature jumpsuits. Tagline reads, "Elvis sings and tells his story like never before."
Poster for the Toronto International Film Festival premiere
Directed byBaz Luhrmann
StarringElvis Presley
Edited byJonathan Redmond[1]
Music byElvis Presley
Release date
  • September 6, 2025 (2025-09-06)
at the Toronto International Film Festival
Running time
100 minutes
CountriesUnited States
Australia
LanguageEnglish

EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is a 2025 documentary about Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann, and to be distributed by Warner Brothers featuring never before seen footage from his epochal residency in Las Vegas from 1969 into the 1970s, as well as previously unseen footage from Elvis: That's the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour.[2][1] It is Luhrmann's follow-up to the 2022 biopic Elvis. The film premiered on September 6, 2025, at the Toronto International Film Festival, and shall continue its debut run at the Zurich Film Festival, where it opens on September 26, 2025 -[2][3]

Production

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Luhrmann originally sought out unseen footage from Elvis: That's the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour with the intent of using it in his 2022 Elvis film. Sixty-eight boxes of both 35mm and 8mm footage were found in the Warner Bros. film archives within salt mines in Kansas, including outtakes from both films, plus the "gold lamé jacket" performance from Hawaii in 1957 and unheard interviews. This footage, however, came without sound. Over the next two years, it was restored and synced to existing audio sources by Luhrmann's team. In this process, a 45-minute audio recording was then uncovered of Presley talking about his life story. All this material forms the basis of EPiC.[4][1] Luhrmann has described the project as neither fully a documentary nor a concert film, but "something new in the Elvis canon... that befits the magnitude of Elvis as a performer but also offers deeper revelations of his humanity and inner life."[5]

Various images and short clips from the editing process have been shared by Luhrmann on his Instagram account throughout 2025, including one of the "gold lamé" performance.[6] On May 30, Luhrmann shared footage from EPiC at a Sony Music Vision showcase. On August 13, Luhrmann shared a previously unseen restored clip of Presley singing "Oh Happy Day" and announced that the film would premiere on September 6, 2025, at the Toronto International Film Festival.[3][2]

Critical reception

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Owen Gleiberman in Variety called the film "one of the most exciting concert films you've ever seen... Elvis in the raw, driven by the awareness that it doesn't get any better than that."[7] Radheyan Simonpillai in The Guardian praised the concert sequences but criticised Luhrmann's "refusal... to meaningfully hold Elvis to account."[8] Steve Pond wrote in The Wrap that EPiC combines both "offstage and onstage Elvis" into an "Elvispalooza (that) is fit for a king."[9] At Rotten Tomatoes, the film has earned a 92% fresh tomatometer from critics, after thirteen reviews. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, is currently assigning the film a score of 88 out of 100, based on six reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Awards

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At TIFF, the film was nominated for the Toronto International Film Festival People's Choice Award, where it was given 1st runner up honors.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ward, Sarah (July 22, 2025). "Baz Luhrmann's 'EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert' and David Michôd's 'Christy' Set TIFF World Premieres". Variety. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Luhrmann, Baz. "EPiC WORLD PREMIERE at TIFF, 6th Sept in the Princess Of Wales Theatre! Oh, It's a happy day… #tiff50". Instagram. Retrieved August 16, 2025.[self-published]
  4. ^ Idato, Michael (September 8, 2025). "Elvis and me: Baz Luhrmann's new film crowns 'the King'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  5. ^ Fleming Jr., Mike (January 22, 2025). "Baz Luhrmann Working On New Elvis Presley Docu Feature – Watch Exclusive Teaser Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  6. ^ Luhrmann, Baz. "Staring at this screen day & night - Can't wait to share it with you !!". Instagram. Retrieved August 16, 2025.[self-published]
  7. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (September 7, 2025). "'EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert' Review: Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Documentary Is One of the Most Exciting Concert Films You've Ever Seen". Variety. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Simonpillai, Radheyan (September 8, 2025). "EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert review – Baz Luhrmann's electric yet avoidant documentary". The Guardian. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Pond, Steve (September 6, 2025). "'EPiC' Review: Baz Luhrmann Doesn't Need Austin Butler to Make Another Rockin' Elvis Movie". The Wrap. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
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