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Last night the Nashville.com team had the pleasure of watching “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert” at a private IMAX screening shown at Regal Opry Mills in Nashville, offering an early look ahead of its theatrical release on February 20.
Seeing EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert on an IMAX screen feels less like watching a movie and more like stepping straight into the room with Elvis at the absolute height of his fame. Culled entirely from performance footage captured during the peak years of his career, the film is a thrilling, immersive reintroduction to Elvis Presley in his prime—confident, commanding, and utterly magnetic.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, EPiC is assembled from more than 55 hours of long-lost 1970s concert footage, drawn from both Las Vegas engagements and tour stops across the country. The material has been meticulously restored, mixed, and edited, resulting in a seamless concert experience that highlights just how electrifying Elvis was onstage. There’s nothing archival or dusty about it—this is Elvis alive in the moment, fully connected to his band, his songs, and his audience.
Watching the film on an IMAX screen was over the top. The scale and clarity pull you deep into the performances, making it easy to scan the stage, the crowd, and the world orbiting Elvis at the time. I literally felt like I got to know Elvis. You can study the details of his jumpsuits, the intensity of his expressions, and even the faces in the wings and audience—many of them instantly recognizable. Throughout the film, famous figures from Elvis’ inner circle and celebrity peers appear, including Sammy Davis Jr., longtime manager Colonel Tom Parker, and Oak Ridge Boys’ Richard Sterban, among many others. It’s a vivid snapshot of an era when Elvis wasn’t just a star—he was the center of the entertainment universe.
These performances capture Elvis completely at ease, channeling raw emotion, charisma, and vocal power with an ease few artists have ever matched. The film powerfully reframes his later live years, making a strong case for just how essential this period was to his legacy.
For longtime fans and newcomers alike, EPiC is more than a concert film—it’s a front-row seat to history, reminding us why Elvis Presley remains one of the most compelling live performers of all time. A companion soundtrack release, being developed in partnership with Sony Music, is also on the way.
–Jerry Holthouse
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