EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026) Neon/Documentary RT: 97 minutes Rated PG-13 (some language) Director: Baz Luhrmann Release date: February 20, 2026 (US, IMAX)/February 27, 2026 (US, wide) Cast: Elvis Presley
Rating: *** ½
Recent concert films have featured the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyonce and K-pop boy band Stray Kids. I didn’t bother with them. There’s no reason for me to watch them. I’m not a fan of any of these artists. When it comes to concert films, I’ll take Gimme Shelter (The Rolling Stones), The Last Waltz (The Band) and Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads) any day of the week. They’re the best!
As of today, there’s a new addition to the short list. It’s Baz Luhrmann’s EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert, both a documentary and a concert film. It’s interesting how it came about. While doing research for his 2022 biopic Elvis starring Austin Butler as “The King”, he discovered 68 boxes of unseen 35mm and 8mm footage hidden in the Warner Bros. archives in some salt mines in Kansas. Much of it is outtakes from the documentary Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (1970) and the concert film Elvis on Tour (1972). Unfortunately, there was no audio so Baz spent two years painstakingly restoring the footage and syncing it to existing audio sources. He also incorporated a 45-minute recording of Elvis talking about his life. The result is nothing short of impressive. It looks and sounds amazing!
So what we’re talking about with EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is Elvis’ story in his own words. There are no talking heads or interviews with those who knew him personally and/or professionally. Nobody shows up to explain Elvis or his impact. It’s just Elvis performing intercut with behind-the-scenes stuff like rehearsals and clips from what few interviews he granted (Elvis wasn’t big on that). We also get archival footage and a montage of clips from his movies. That’s at the beginning. Baz takes us on a quick trip through Elvis’ career to show us why his shows in Las Vegas were such a big deal.
According to the titles near the end, Elvis performed about 1100 shows in Vegas from 1969 to 1977, sometimes as many as three a night. It was exhausting, but you wouldn’t know it by the amount of energy he put in his performances. It’s exhausting just watching him. The shows were a departure for him. They were more elaborate than the ones from the 50s. He went BIG with orchestras, horns and choruses. And why not, he was already a legend. It befitted a man of that stature. His main venue was the International Hotel where he did 636 consecutive sold-out shows. The audience loved him and he loved his audiences. Sometimes he’d have the crew raise the house lights so he could see and talk to the audience.
Baz, with a valuable assist from editor Jonathan Redmond, did the work on EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert at Peter Jackson’s facilities in New Zealand. It’s a lesson in cinematic craftsmanship. The images are crystal clear. The colors are vibrant. The sound is crisp. You’d never know the footage is more than 50 years old. It captures Elvis in all his glory as he reinvents himself as a Vegas performer. It captures the audiences filled with screaming women who’d love nothing more than to f*** their idol’s brains out, but they’ll settle for a kiss and maybe an article of his clothing. BTW, those jumpsuits of his are COOL!
The music is absolutely phenomenal. The highlights include a mash-up of “Little Sister” and “Get Back”, a soulful performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, a fun “Polk Salad Annie” and an exuberant rehearsal of “Oh Happy Day”. It’s great how he interacts with his band and back-up singers. And they’re no slouches. Just listen to guitarist James Burton and drummer Ronnie Tutt. The only word that comes to mind is “Wow!”
I highly recommend EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. It’s an absolute must-see for fans. More importantly, it’s an opportunity for young people to discover one of the most important names in music. Elvis was influential. He experimented with different types of music- e.g. country, gospel and blues. Some say rock and roll started with Elvis. He was a magnetic performer and this is an opportunity for the world to either be reminded of this or see it for the first time.
P.S. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert is showing in IMAX at selected theaters. I didn’t see it in that format but I wish I had. Maybe a second viewing is in order?
