Can A24's Priscilla Capture Some Of That Elvis Magic At The Box Office?
Next weekend will seemingly be one of the more quiet weekends at the box office of the fall season. While several new releases are indeed hitting theaters, it's sort of a calm before the storm before "The Marvels" arrives. But if there is one movie that seems like it could have a possible breakout run (relatively speaking), it's A24's "Priscilla." Directed by Sofia Coppola ("On the Rocks," "The Bling Ring"), the film will focus on the life of Priscilla Presley, the wife of Elvis Presley, one of the most beloved musicians of all time. Will that connection to the king of rock 'n roll translate to ticket sales? That's the big question.
Official box office tracking has not been revealed for the film, and it often isn't a thing at all for smaller movies. That said, the folks at Box Office Pro have "Priscilla" taking in anywhere between $3 and $8 million on opening weekend. Complicating matters is the fact that 1) it is tough to let general audiences know that this movie is at least kind of about Elvis even though his name isn't in the title and 2) several other movies are coming out on the same day. Coppola's latest will be opening against Met Ryan's new rom-com "What Happens Later" and the Daisy Ridley thriller "The Marsh King's Daughter."
One thing that might work in this movie's favor is the fact that moviegoers may still be a little high on Elvis Presley right now. Last year's biopic "Elivs," directed by Baz Luhrmann and distributed by Warner Bros., was a smash hit. Starring Austin Butler in the lead role, the film pulled in a hugely impressive $288 million worldwide against a budget in the $80 million range. One assumes the hope is that some of that box office magic will rub off on this film. Whether or not that works, in practice, remains to be seen.
The Elvis name goes a long way
The exact budget for "Priscilla" has not been revealed as of this writing, but Coppola made her film for much less than Luhrmann made his. In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Coppola revealed that she considered auctioning off a date with Jacob Elordi, who plays Elvis in the film, to help goose the budget. "Our budget was always strained, low budget, and I was like, 'I wonder if I could raffle off a pickleball game with Jacob to raise money to get one more day of shooting,'" she said. That didn't happen, but it demonstrates the constraint. All that was said, specifically, is that the film was made for less than $20 million. Just how much less is a major lingering question.
If we assume the budget was in the $15 million range, an $8 million opening wouldn't be a bad start. Especially if the movie can have legs heading into awards season. An opening closer to $3 million would be less than ideal, to put it politely, and A24 would be relying more on VOD and awards love to justify the cost, rather than having it be an outright theatrical success. The former is preferable for all involved.
"Priscilla" focuses on a teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (played by Cailee Spaeny), who meets Elvis Presley at a party. Told through Priscilla's eyes, it offers a glimpse at the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla's long courtship and turbulent marriage.
Also helping matters is the fact that critics have been kind to the film thus far, as it boasts a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. You can read /Film's somewhat mixed 6.5 out of 10 review here. In many cases, critical praise doesn't translate to ticket sales, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
Several big challenges to overcome
Aside from not having "Elvis" in the movie's title, there are other challenges that A24 and Coppola have to overcome for this movie to become a theatrical success. For one, the Screen Actors Guild strike is still going on, so Spaeney and Elordi can't do a press tour to get the film on people's radar. These press tours can be particularly helpful for a smaller film that isn't going to get a blockbuster-sized marketing push.
The other big issue is that "Priscilla" didn't have the rights to use any of Presley's music in the film. Undoubtedly, Luhrmann's "Elvis" benefited greatly not only from the name recognition in the title, but having some of those legendary songs front-and-center in the marketing campaign. If A24 could have used "Love Me Tender" in a trailer, for example, that certainly would have been helpful.
Coppola, for her part, also hasn't had a theatrical hit in some time. 2003's "Lost in Translation" ($117 million worldwide) remains by far her biggest box office earner, followed by 2006's "Marie Antoinette" ($60 million worldwide). But that movie's $40 million budget loomed large. 2020's "On the Rocks" went directly to Apple TV+, while 2017's "The Beguiled" topped out at $28 million worldwide.
A24 is also not necessarily known for making big theatrical hits, with "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Hereditary" serving as exceptions rather than the rule. That's why the company is currently looking to shift up strategies and get into franchise and audience-friendly filmmaking. But "Priscilla" fits the mold of what the studio does well and, with a possible awards season run on the horizon, could still prove to be a solid venture for the studio —if all goes well. The flip side is that general audiences simply may not care all that much if the focus isn't on Elvis himself.
"Priscilla" hits theaters on November 3, 2023.