Baz Luhrmann thought he had already told Elvis Presley’s story with his huge 2022 biopic Elvis.
Then he discovered boxes of material that changed everything.
While researching that film, Luhrmann gained access to more than 60 boxes of archival concert material, much of it connected to Elvis: That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour. Some of the material had spent decades sitting in storage, including footage fans had never properly seen.
The result became EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert.
Rather than making another traditional documentary filled with historians explaining Elvis, Luhrmann did something much simpler.
He let Elvis perform and speak for himself.
The film combines beautifully restored footage from Elvis’s explosive 1970 Las Vegas performances and his 1972 touring period, along with rehearsals, backstage material and audio recordings of Elvis discussing fame, performing and the person hidden underneath the image.
The restoration itself became a huge part of the experience.
Visual and audio work was carried out at Peter Jackson’s facilities in New Zealand, and reviewers praised how dramatically clearer and more immediate the old concert material suddenly looked and sounded. RogerEbert.com described the restored footage as so vivid that the performances seemed to leap from the screen.
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert Official Trailer
The official trailer shows exactly what made the project unusual: footage shot more than five decades ago presented with a level of detail that makes Elvis feel startlingly present. The film opened in IMAX on February 20, 2026, before its wider theatrical release on February 27.
And critics responded strongly.
As of September 2026, EPiC holds a 97% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes from 120 reviews, with audiences also at 97%. Metacritic gives it 86/100, placing it firmly among the year’s best-reviewed music documentaries.
Time Out awarded it four stars, calling the film an eye-popping look at Elvis at his performing peak.
Perhaps the best decision was not trying to explain every part of Elvis’s life again.
There are long stretches where there is simply Elvis, the musicians, the audience and the performance.
No actor playing him.
No recreation.
Just the real Elvis Presley at the moment he could still take control of an entire room with a voice, a look and a few movements.
Nearly 50 years after Elvis died, Baz Luhrmann did not bring the King back by recreating him. He found the real footage, restored it and let Elvis take the stage again.