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King of the box office: Elvis ties with Top Gun sequel for No. 1 spot

The King of Rock and Roll is also the king of the box office.

Baz Luhrmann's Elvis is tied with Top Gun: Maverick in the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office this week. The Elvis Presley biopic debuted with $30.5 million, while the Top Gun sequel earned the same during its fifth week in theaters, according to Comscore.

Austin Butler shakes, rattles, and rolls as the legendary musician in Luhrmann's biopic, which follows Presley's rise to fame and his complicated relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The film also stars Olivia DeJonge, Alton Mason, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Dacre Montgomery, among others.

Elvis
Elvis

Warner Bros. Pictures Austin Butler in 'Elvis'

"My big goal right from the beginning was not becoming a caricature of him," Butler told EW of embodying the late musician. "There are so many people out there who have their own Elvis voice, and you realize that most of those are caricature — the way that they curl their lip, or they deepen their voice deeper than his voice ever was. For me, it was just trying to find out who he was as a man, to humanize him and connect to him on that level."

Butler — who has received praise from the Presley family for his portrayal, including Presley's daughter Lisa Marie — also addressed the white-washing of Presley's career, praising Luhrman for exploring longstanding conversations of racial appropriation. "I'm so grateful that I get to be a part of a film that finally puts his life in context and gives credit where credit is due," he said. "We don't have Elvis without Black music and without Black culture."

With Top Gun: Maverick's additional $30.5 million, the Tom Cruise-led sequel now has a high-flying total of $521.7 million across North America. At the global box office, the sequel hit the $1 billion mark, piloting a career best for Cruise. Elsewhere, Jurassic World: Dominion roared to the No. 3 spot with an additional $26.4 million, while The Black Phone rang in at No. 4 with $23.3 million. Lightyear rounded out the top five in fifth place, earning an additional $17.6 million this week.

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