EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert - World Premiere (Updated)

On Saturday, September 6, 2025, the world premiere of 'EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert', the latest film by director Baz Luhrmann, took place at the Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto. The audience reacted enthusiastically and rewarded Luhrmann with a standing ovation. 

Toronto has always had a special place in Baz Luhrmann’s story. Thirty-five years ago, when he premiered Strictly Ballroom, no one wanted the film. “It was going straight to video,” Luhrmann admitted on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre, visibly emotional. “And then we came here. Toronto embraced us. We knew we were safe. I’m sorry it took me 35 years to say thank you." (picture by Paul Sweeney).

This time, he returned with the world premiere of Epic – Elvis Presley in Concert. Not a documentary, not a straightforward concert film, but what Luhrmann calls a tone poem: a cinematic experience where Elvis tells his own story through music, voice, and image.

With EPiC, he once again pays tribute to Elvis Presley by combining never-before-seen concert footage from the seventies with carefully restored archival material. Original audio fragments featuring Elvis himself speaking ensure that the film feels simultaneously like a concert, a documentary, and a poetic narrative. 

Luhrmann introduced the movie explaining his vision and some of what has happened the past years to get to this premiere in a Q&A with EPE's Angie Marchese in the audience.

From the salt mines to the big screen

Seven years ago, Luhrmann heard whispers of lost Elvis material. With the resources to investigate, he sent a team to the Kansas salt mines where Hollywood negatives are stored. “We found 59 hours of film,” said editor Jonathan Redmond. “Two full concert films, tour footage, even 8mm reels. But no synced sound. Only the vocal tracks survived.” 

Restoring it was a marathon. “It took two years just to sync picture and sound,” Redmond explained. “We clawed audio back from work prints, RCA archives, even shady trades in parking lots. Some of it was scary. But we had no choice.” Luhrmann grinned: “Jono basically lived under his desk for two years. But look at the result.”

Elvis tells his own story

The creative choice was radical: no critics, no friends reminiscing, no biographers.

“You know how it always goes,” Luhrmann joked. “‘I saw Elvis once at a gas station, we were close, I wrote a book.’ Not this time. We found a 45-minute tape of Elvis, exhausted in rehearsal, just talking about his life. And he says: ‘There’s been a lot said, but I’d like the opportunity to tell you my side of the story.’ That was the turning point. Elvis became the storyteller.”

Instead of outside voices, Epic lets Elvis narrate through rare interviews and electrifying performances. “For someone not known as very verbal,” Luhrmann said, “you hear him vulnerable, candid, deeply human.”

Showmanship and spirituality

For Luhrmann, Elvis’ showmanship was never empty spectacle. “Go into a gospel church, there’s theatricality there too. It’s about creating community, a spiritual unity. Elvis understood that. He could reach your heart and your head at the same time.” Take his version of Bridge Over Troubled Water. “It’s already a great song,” Luhrmann said. “But when Elvis sings it, it becomes a prayer. That’s his gift — turning music into spiritual experience.”

From village Matinees to a homemade jumpsuit

Luhrmann’s own connection to Elvis goes back to his childhood in rural Australia. “I grew up in a town of five houses. My dad ran a gas station, and for a while, the local cinema. On Sundays we screened Elvis matinees. Watching Easy Come, Easy Go, I thought: that’s the coolest man alive. My grandmother even sewed me an Elvis jumpsuit for ballroom dancing. Elvis was always part of my life.”

Tears in the theater

During the post-screening Q&A, a woman in the audience stood up. She had seen Elvis live three times, even attended his funeral. “I had my elbow on the stage,” she said, voice trembling. “He was right in front of me.”

The room erupted in applause. Luhrmann paused, visibly moved. “I’m not pretending to be Elvis,” he said softly. “But this is too beautiful, too moving. I’m truly humbled.”

EPiC, not a documentary

Luhrmann ended with a tongue-in-cheek warning: “My company is now called ‘The Department of No Fun.’ So if I catch anyone dancing or applauding during the film, you’ll be fined — with free swag and tickets.” The audience roared.

But his core message was serious. “Epic – Elvis Presley in Concert isn’t a documentary. It isn’t a concert film. It’s an experience. Elvis sings, Elvis tells his story. It’s his voice, his soul. For me, it’s poetry. And I wanted to share that.”

Hampton Roads, the sequel waiting in the wings? 

One of the evening’s revelations came when Jonathan Redmond confirmed that the team had unearthed the entire Hampton Roads concert from 1972, in pristine 35mm quality. “We had the whole of the Hampton Roads concert, in its entirety,” Redmond said. 

A key highlight from that show - Elvis’ roaring take on 'Never Been to Spain' - made it into Epic. But Luhrmann teased that the rest might not stay in the vault forever.

“That’s a whole other show,” he told the audience. “Write to your local theater if you want to see that as a sequel.” For fans, the message was clear: 'EPiC - Elvis Presley in Concert' may only be the beginning. Somewhere in those Kansas salt mines, Hampton Roads is waiting for its own spotlight.

Larger than an icon

For Luhrmann, Elvis’ arc mirrors the American story itself. “The energy of the fifties, the glamour of the sixties, the chaos of the seventies. Elvis never stopped searching. He was always seeking. And in that search, we rediscover him.” Nearly fifty years after his death, Elvis Presley still fills a theater with tears, laughter, and electricity. Epic doesn’t just resurrect the King, it lets him speak for himself.

The Toronto premiere, which was part of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), was warmly received by critics and fans, who particularly praised the innovative approach and the respectful way in which Elvis is brought back to life on the big screen. After Toronto, EPiC will also be shown at other international festivals, after which the film will become available in theaters and via streaming later this year.

Elvis author Garry Gomersall was lucky enough to be present at the world premiere of ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert’, here is his first raw review and an overview of the footage used in the movie from his >>> Elvis Today Blog (spoiler alert).

The film is fantastic - 100% Elvis in glorious sound and vision. It was a privilege to be in attendance. Baz Luhrmann was great and gave a beautifully eloquent speech, before and after the film. 
 
In total they have "59 hours" of film curated e.g they have all of Hampton Roads - he mentioned that 3 times - and obviously wary that fans want everything - and it simply can't be all in a film of 96 minutes.
 
This is a very quick summary - entirely from memory after attending the world-wide premiere of the film earlier today at the Toronto International Film Festival. All typed on my mobile phone (excuse errors, omission and typos) whilst trying to avoid the thousands of Daniel Craig fans attending the next premiere at the same venue immediately afterwards.

Haven't done the maths yet, and I have two more viewings so will have a better and more accurate review, synopsis and opinion to share in the next couple of days. 

There are maybe 30 to 40% of new/very much improved quality footage - but these are all typically short song clips - or used very nicely I might add as part of montages following the films "poetic" narrative. As regards the "concert" / "rehearsal" pieces they don't follow much of a chronology. Flips back and forth between On Tour and TTWII clips. Hence my haphazard initial draft comments here.
 
Film starts with some American Trilogy and Historical/Biographical passages - not overlong, so doesn't grate and is helpful to the audience re: Ed Sullivan, Army clips induction, Hy Gardner, Blue Suede Shoes screen test - just visual no sound, some a Dorsey Brothers show clips, Army press conferences, movie synopsis to the sound of Edge Of Reality - fancy, neat and well done - nothing new I'm afraid. The clips from the Gold suit show - nice, but just a few seconds.
 
There is quite a lot that is "new" which falls into 3 categories I would suggest:

• Previously seen footage that looks and sounds better 
• Existing footage blended with new alongside in a montage / different angles or
• Totally new footage (never seen)

I haven't had time to organize the following brain dump and categorize as above but these notes should give you a pretty good idea for now. Pending a more accurate and precise review after I've had chance to sleep on it and take in another couple of viewings. I thought since many of you would be asking a quick rough and ready review would suffice for now. So timeliness over completeness. I may have missed some items - it's been a long couple of days, and I now need to sleep.
 
For brevity, no details on dates, location and attire to distinguish clips are contained here. There are so many montages across songs I need to see the film again to detail further.

The following notes do not follow the precise order in which materials appear in the film - it is just what I have managed to remember in one viewing.
 
Culver City / MGM Studio rehearsals: What's new (in the sense that it looks and sounds absolutely beautiful), and 2-3 absolute gems: ‘Something’, ‘Yesterday’ and ‘Fools Such As I’. Different clips, talking, reading the music sheet. (Sadly there was no room for Hey Jude, Tomorrow Never Comes, It's Now or Never or any of the I just Can't Help Believin' etc. run-throughs.)
 
Two major highlights for me: ‘Fools Such As I’ (yippee in beautiful quality) and ‘Runaway’, I have never seen this before.
 

International Hotel rehearsal: ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ (short), ‘You Don't Have to Say You Love Me’ and some small talk as he enters the room.  Various small interactions - not many - some we can hear others it is just the visuals
 
Stage Rehearsal clips: Polk Salad Annie (montage with Culver City, hotel, and live shows - various). The next Step Is Love clip for narrative purposes - you will see when you watch the film. Oh Happy Day (as per the trailer - slightly longer clip). Some bizarre drug talk (in a funny ha-ha Elvis kind of way - so interesting but a bit weird - and definitely never been seen before).
 

Live show elements from TTWII (dates and attire details to follow):
Interesting entrance from TTWII, Elvis seems to pause, hand gestures and deliberate delays his entrance. Some extra footage waiting in the wings and with the band. I Can't Stop Loving You - TTWII some interesting and different angles. Men With Broken Hearts into and then Walk A Mile In My Shoes (from Lost Performances but looks beautiful). Little Sister / Get Back / Are You Lonesome Tonight - sat on stool (as per TTWII special Edition extras). Suspicious Minds - good montage, fewer edits draws on TTWII 1970 used show with added drama - blew the roof off the Theatre - people on their feet cheering and singing along. That's All Right - all new (excellent). Tiger Man - some different show/angles. A Brilliant alternative live version of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling. Opening show Can't Help Falling In Love - slow motion into the lift for a false movie ending. 

One bit I didn't appreciate was using studio track audio to dub In The Ghetto from TTWII - why?
 
Hotel Suite (1970): Elvis hotel suite in Vegas (1970) - foot on the chair talking with the guys. Inviting Charlie Hodge to make a funny face to camera. All new footage!
 
On Tour elements: ‘Always on My Mind’ short clip (aside home movies - reminiscent of ‘This Is Elvis’ etc.). ‘Burning Love’ rehearsal/mock studio elements largely similar to The Searcher but with a little bit more. Feature version from Greensboro, not San Antonio was used in the film. In fact apart from some of the walking to stage elements - I don't recall any substantive elements from San Antonio in the film - and unfortunately apart from a very interesting piece when Elvis is lying on the floor just a few seconds more of Richmond (red suit). Sorry to disappoint (spoiler alert). Very limited use of Greensboro footage too.

• How Great Thou Art - Hampton Roads
• Burning Love - mock studio session montage, featuring stage version from Greensboro
• Never been to Spain - this time from Hampton Roads - interspersed with Madison Square Garden Press Conference footage clips (used a lot elsewhere, alongside the Houston press conference from Feb 1970,
• and the new - in color clips of the On Tour interview (Mario Lanza, JD Summer comments and more). Quality here is amazing
• More talking in the back of the car - Jacksonville Florida.
• None of the rude clips from backstage Greensboro or back of the car were included.
• Elvis hotel suite in Vegas (1972) we get the scene with the mirror and Elvis putting on the super-sized tie,
• short clip at the start-ish of the movie with the two gold discs - no audio.
• We have the clip in the trailer of Elvis meeting the little girl, signing the poster with kiss for mum and daughter - nothing new just amazing quality so I'm not complaining.
• On Tour - gospel round the piano. Closer My God To Thee (new footage - never seen)
• Bridge Over Troubled Water - Hampton Roads version (very nice and new)
• American Trilogy - Hampton Roads

Later there are a few clips of the Colonel with Elvis by the stage at Richmond, Elvis talks about the Colonel - never forgetting anyone or their birthdays in the back of the car. Colonel references are made to the tune of "Devil In Disguise".
 
Miscellaneous Comments 

• Again from memory: Entering / Exiting stage - more unseen clips, lots of different ones, with many suits/shows features - but all very small clips no sound (apart from San Antonio - "not getting the ending right to BL" - white suit, red suit, light blue suit, dark blue suit
• Celebrity party in Vegas - slightly different content from TTWII special edition. Interesting new clips from TTWII - tap dancing (to cue in Sammy Davis Jnr.), kissing the ladies, alternative angles on the walk through the crowd; Elvis introducing his story. The signing autographs by the stairs and the walk thru the kitchen is very short - not all footage used.
• Love Me - Montage, Sullivan, TTWII stool, and Richmond lying on the floor (brilliant clip)
• Suspicious Minds montage is good - more from the show features in the original TTWII with less editing - as always works very well as a show stopper. Some gripes (personal view, and not wishing to split hairs)…
• Walk a Mile In My Shoes, Never Been To Spain were just about complete versions - but they chose not to include any of the following: For The Good Times, Release Me Stranger In The Crowd Words There Goes My Everything It's Over (from Richmond - does this exist the 59 hours?) Etc. (see my book for existing commentary on missing gems).

Baz was at pains to stress that he wasn't trying to remake TTWII or an On Tour "plus" - he was essentially presenting a poem (A Bono penned poem was spoken over the ending credits) - hence I guess why he made the song choices he did…and under the severe unexplained pressure to restrict running time (go figure).
 
Conclusion

The movie whets the appetite for more. 

That said, the film is a sensational piece of work - which is inspiring and beautiful; you will love it no doubt - just rein back some of the expectations for new footage and enjoy what we have here. Don't get me wrong some of the new footage is indeed fantastic, it's just us Elvis fans we will still be looking for a significant amount more (of the other 57.5 hours that has been curated). An excellent and worthy addition to the Elvis cannon in my humble opinion.

 
Note: I didn't see any record company executives, EPE, family or Elvis associates in attendance at the premiere.

Variety wrote a glowing review, go to the >>> Variety website to read it. 

 
For more updates, follow Garry Gomersall on >>> Facebook.

Garry wrote the book 'Elvis Presley: Unreleased Concert, Tour and Rehearsal Filmed Footage: As captured by the MGM movie cameras in 1970 and 1972' which can be ordered from >>> Amazon (Associate link).