Baard said tracking surveys of just over 400 patrons leaving Australian cinemas showed 91 per cent rated Elvis either “excellent” or “very good”. That matched the result for the 2018 musical hit A Star Is Born, featuring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

Fifty-six per cent of the film’s weekend audience were female and, despite expectations the film would largely appeal to older viewers who are fans of Presley’s music, 50 per cent were aged under 44.

Baard said Elvis took almost as much on the weekend as the biggest musical biopic of recent years, Bohemian Rhapsody, which opened with $6.8 million before making $55.4 million all up.

While that total is considered unrealistic, Elvis could easily pass Luhrmann’s Gatsby ($27.4 million) and Moulin Rouge! ($27.8 million).

His biggest hit in this country is the romantic epic Australia ($37.6 million) which is the second-biggest Australian film hit behind Crocodile Dundee.

According to American entertainment website Deadline, Elvis had a rocking start with a $50.5 million debut around the world.

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“It shows these adult skewing movies can still open on the big screen to very good numbers,” box office editor Anthony D’Alessandro wrote. “Everything that’s non-tentpole doesn’t have to be sent to streaming.”

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Email the writer at gmaddox@smh.com.au and follow him on Twitter at @gmaddox.