Tom Hanks gets, if that’s possible, a bigger standing ovation than Tom Cruise. Prior to the red carpet, he was greeted by deafening roars from fans, photographers and cameramen could shout at him, but he himself held back a bit to prioritize Elvis Presley’s rep, Austin Butler.

Hanks plays Presley’s manager Tom Parker in the film, which focuses on their complicated relationship.

An hour-long parade of stars and personalities on the red carpet was followed by the opening ceremony, which ended with ten minutes of rapturous applause.

At Thursday’s press conference, reporters had swarmed at least an hour earlier, but not all of them made it into the hall.

The first question belongs to Australian director Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge, The Great Gatsby) and, as expected, is about why he chose Elvis Presley for the film.

“I was drawn to the historical theme, let’s remember the beautiful depiction of the relationship between Mozart and Salieri in Amadeo. Elvis Presley was a major figure on the American music scene and that’s what attracted me. Beyond the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s America, which is a very important period. Besides, the two main characters of the film together form the word show business. Elvis is show and Tom is tough business. And one of the reasons I filmed Elvis was because I still wanted the film- the film excels, especially on the big screen, so that cinemas are maintained and the audience has a reason to go there,” he said.

Tom Hanks, who is emaciated and clearly doesn’t look like in the movies, admits that when the director offered him the role of Presley’s manager, he had no idea what he would look like.

“I never even heard his voice, I just knew that Elvis had a manager. And Baz didn’t tell me anything but that he was a bit of a weird, ugly guy. It wasn’t until I saw the photos that I realized that preparing for the role would be much more challenging than I had imagined. But I’m a professional, it’s a fun job and I agree that Elvis is a major figure in the American music scene,” he explained.

For Presley’s representative, Austin Butler, this is the biggest challenge of his career so far.

“I was very surprised that Baz Luhrmann chose me. It was a great job, I spent several years with Elvis and I trained especially for the dance numbers for a very long time. I really appreciate this opportunity,” said Butler, who put on an absolutely stunning performance. amazing, and we’ll no doubt be hearing more from the 30-year-old actor.

The entire film is a great show and a rough account of show business, which not only provides insight into Elvis’ life, but above all, demonstrates in a very clear and entertaining way what and how rock’n’roll came about, where Presley was forever king.

Briefly, the director goes through Elvis’ childhood among impoverished African Americans, showing his interest in their music and how the popularity of country music among young people gradually gave way to Elvis’ interpretation of black music. It was then that country band manager Tom Parker saw him for the first time and immediately sensed a great opportunity for him and himself.

He then orchestrates his resurrection and life until Elvis’ death. For example, he doesn’t want her to perform outside of America because she still needs to meet demand for her concerts at home.

Their relationship is complicated (after all, like all Elvis relationships, including his relationship with his mother), but when Tom says at the beginning of the film that there would be no Elvis Presley without him, audiences agree with him in the end.

Musical numbers are Luhrmann’s domain, he’s good at it, and how he handles it Austin Butler is completely unheard of. Sometimes, a person completely forgets that he is not watching a documentary, but a feature film. The Elvis movie is just a big show. It opens in Czech theaters on June 26.