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Elvis Wedding Crackdown Leaves Las Vegas All Shook Up

An Elvis impersonator sings in February 2020 during a ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which has offered Elvis-themed weddings since 1977 MARIO TAMA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
An Elvis impersonator sings in February 2020 during a ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which has offered Elvis-themed weddings since 1977 MARIO TAMA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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Elvis Wedding Crackdown Leaves Las Vegas All Shook Up

An Elvis impersonator sings in February 2020 during a ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which has offered Elvis-themed weddings since 1977 MARIO TAMA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
An Elvis impersonator sings in February 2020 during a ceremony at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which has offered Elvis-themed weddings since 1977 MARIO TAMA GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Every year thousands of visitors to Las Vegas can't help falling in love -- at least long enough to get married by an Elvis impersonator.

But the company that controls the rights to the King's likeness has sparked outrage in Sin City by cracking down wedding chapels offering Elvis-themed nuptials.

Authentic Brands Group, which bought a controlling stake in Elvis Presley's estate in 2013, last month sent cease-and-desist letters to companies offering the kitschy weddings.

The move triggered angry responses from Elvis impersonators, chapel owners, and even the mayor of Las Vegas, who called for a little more open conversation -- and less legal action -- from the group.

"Elvis Presley long called Las Vegas his home and his name has become synonymous with Las Vegas weddings," Jason Whaley, president of the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce, told AFP.

"The Vegas Wedding Chamber shares a concern that many of our chapels and impersonators livelihoods are being targeted, especially as many are still trying to recover financially from the hurdles we all endured with Covid shutdowns."

ABG on Thursday apologized for its initial approach, saying it was committed to protecting Presley's legacy.

"We are sorry that recent communication with a small number of Las Vegas based chapels caused confusion and concern. That was never our intention," the company said in a statement to AFP.

"We are working with the chapels to ensure that the usage of Elvis' name, image and likeness are in keeping with his legacy."

It added: "From tribute artists and impersonators to chapels and fan clubs, each and every one of these groups help to keep Elvis relevant for new generations of fans."

But a day earlier, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that ABG was now offering chapels financial "partnerships," including annual licensing deals to continue business as usual.

"That is their solution, to pay $20,000 a year to do what we've been doing for the past nine years," said Kayla Collins, co-owner of the Las Vegas Elvis Wedding Chapel.

"This was not on the table a few days ago. Frankly, I think this thing going to the public has changed their minds."

- 'Elvis Pink Caddy' -
The move comes weeks before the release of Baz Luhrmann's new big-screen biopic "Elvis" -- a large-scale Warner Bros production expected to boost interest in the singer.

Elvis-themed weddings have been a lucrative business in Las Vegas since the 1970s.

Packages today run as high as $1,600 for the Elvis Pink Caddy Luxury Model Wedding Package, which offers couples the chance to be driven up the aisle of the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel by Elvis in a 1964 pink Cadillac convertible.

Weddings are a $2.5 billion industry in Las Vegas, according to the Wedding Chamber of Commerce.

But while Elvis musical tribute acts are freely allowed under Nevada law, businesses using Presley's likeness simply to attract publicity and customers are not protected.

Harry Shahoian, one of dozens of Elvis impersonators in the city, who officiates at the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, told the Review-Journal that people just "love to be married by Elvis."

"I did the whole day Sunday, 22 ceremonies. I've done more than 30 in one day, 100 in a week, all of those Elvis-themed."

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Entertainment

‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
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‘Wicked’ and ‘Gladiator’ Make Gravity-Defying Theater Debuts

People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)
People wait to watch a screening of the film "Wicked" at the TCL Chinese Theater in Los Angeles, California, US, November 23, 2024. (Reuters)

With a combined $270 million in worldwide ticket sales, “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” breathed fresh life into a box office that has struggled lately, leading to one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year.

Jon M. Chu’s lavish big-budget musical “Wicked,” starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, debuted with $114 million domestically and $164.2 million globally for Universal Pictures, according to studio estimates Sunday. That made it the third-biggest opening weekend of the year, behind only “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Inside Out 2.” It’s also a record for a Broadway musical adaptation.

Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” a sequel to his 2000 best picture-winning original, launched with $55.5 million in ticket sales. With a price tag of around $250 million to produce it, “Gladiator II” was a big bet by Paramount Pictures to return to the Coliseum with a largely new cast, led by Denzel Washington and Paul Mescal. While it opened with a touch less than the $60 million predicted in domestic ticket sales, “Gladiator II” has performed well overseas. It added $50.5 million internationally.

Going into the weekend, box office was down about 11% from last year and some 25% from pre-pandemic times. That meant this week's two headline films led a much-needed resurgence for theaters. With “Moana 2” releasing Wednesday, Hollywood might be looking at historic sales over the Thanksgiving holiday.

“This weekend’s two strong openers are invigorating a box office that fell apart after a good summer,” said David A. Gross, a film consultant who publishes a newsletter for Franchise Entertainment.

The collision of the two movies led to some echoes of the “Barbenheimer” effect of last year, when “Barbie" and “Oppenheimer” launched simultaneously. The nickname this time, “Glicked,” wasn’t quite as catchy and the cultural imprint was also notably less. Few people sought out a double feature this time. The domestic grosses in 2023 – $162 million for “Barbie” and $82 million for “Oppenheimer” – were also higher.

But the counter-programming effect was still potent for “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” which likewise split broadly along gender lines. And it was again the female-leaning release – “Wicked,” like “Barbie” before it – that easily won the weekend. About 72% of ticket buyers for “Wicked” were female, while 61% of those seeing “Gladiator II” were male.

And while “Barbenheimer” benefitted enormously from meme-spread word-of-mouth, both “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” leaned on all-out marketing blitzes.

Both movies pulled out all the stops in global advertising campaigns that spanned everything from “Wicked” Mattel dolls (some of which led to an awkward recall) to an Airbnb cross-promotion with the actual Colosseum in Rome. For “Gladiator II,” Paramount even took the unusual step of simultaneously running a one-minute trailer on more than 4,000 TV networks, radio station and digital platforms.

Though “Wicked” will face some direct competition from “Moana 2,” it would seem to be better set up for a long and lucrative run in theaters. Even at 2 hours and 40 minutes, the film has had mostly stellar reviews. Audiences gave it an “A” on CinemaScore. The reception for “Wicked” has been strong enough that Oscar prognosticators expect it to be a contender for best picture at the Academy Awards, among other categories.

Producers, perhaps sensing a hit, also took the step of splitting “Wicked” in two. Part two, already filmed, is due out next November. Each “Wicked” installation cost around $150 million to make.

“Gladiator II” has also enjoyed good reviews, particularly for Washington's charismatic performance. Audience scores, though, were weaker, with ticket buyers giving it a “B” on CinemaScore. “Gladiator II” will make up for some of that, however, with robust international sales. It launched in many overseas markets a week ago, earning $87 million before landing in North America.