40 years after Elvis' death, the King still dominates tourism, TV, charts

Bob Mehr, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Shelley Dorazio, left, embraces a picture of Elvis Presley while Jenny Furr laughs inside the new Elvis Presley's Memphis installation at Graceland on March 2, 2017. Elvis Presley Enterprises opened 200,000 square feet of new exhibits, museums and performance space behind Graceland Plaza, the longtime hub of mansion tours. "He's mine," Dorazio said. "I'm not sharing him." (Photo: Brad Vest / The Commercial Appeal)

Even 40 years after his death, Elvis Presley remains one of the most viable and profitable entertainers in the world. During his lifetime, Presley was a star of stage, screen, radio and record. In the afterlife, he continues to dominate those mediums, while tourism at his Memphis home, Graceland, and his personal brand are arguably bigger than ever. Here’s a look at the status of Elvis Inc. in 2017.

Tourism: Elvis Presley’s Graceland has consistently received between half a million and 750,000 visitors a year over the last 30 years of operation. In the past four years, attendance is up roughly 35,000 visitors annually. It remains the second-most-visited private home in America after the White House. In addition to an expected uptick due to the 40th anniversary of Presley’s death, the expansion of Graceland looks to boost the overall number of visitors and revenue in 2017. Last spring, Elvis Presley Enterprises opened 200,000 square feet of new exhibits, museums and performance space behind Graceland Plaza, the longtime hub of mansion tours. The redevelopment is part of a $137 million master-planned overhaul of the Graceland campus, which began in the fall of 2016 with the opening of 450-room resort hotel The Guest House at Graceland. The economic impact of Graceland's expansion has been estimated at more than $1.1 billion.

In spring 2017, Elvis Presley Enterprises opened 200,000 square feet of new exhibits, museums and performance space behind Graceland Plaza, the longtime hub of mansion tours. (Photo: Brad Vest / The Commercial Appeal)

Brand: In 2016, according to Forbes, Elvis Presley was one of the four top dead celebrities, with earnings of $27 million. That number was actually down from his second-place finish in 2015 — during which he earned $55 million — though the difference was due to a change in how Graceland ticket sales were figured into his earnings. Regardless, Presley continues to be one of the most recognizable entertainment icons in the world. Elvis Presley Enterprises officials expect 2017 to be the biggest year ever in terms of total revenue for the Elvis brand.

Elvis fans wander through a forest of jumpsuits at Graceland's Elvis the Entertainer Museum in the new welcome area complex across the street from the mansion. Graceland has gone through a significant realignment in the past year with the addition of a 200,000-square-foot multipurpose museum complex. Many of the exhibits on display in the Entertainer Museum used to be viewed on the mansion grounds. (Photo: Jim Weber / The Commercial Appeal)

Record and radio: Even in a shrinking global album sales market, Elvis remains a reliable seller. In 2015, Sony/Legacy released "If I Can Dream," featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The album topped the charts, selling over 1 million units in the United Kingdom and Europe, and beat out One Direction and Justin Bieber in the year-end LP sales rankings. A 2016 follow-up, "The Wonder of You: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra," was another platinum seller. On the archival side, Sony/Legacy continues to dig into the Presley archives in revelatory ways. Following up recent projects focusing on Presley’s Jungle Room recordings and Stax sessions, the newly released box set “A Boy from Tupelo” covers Presley’s embryonic 1953-1955 period. Presley also continues to be a staple of terrestrial radio and oldies stations, while Sirius XM’s Elvis Radio — launched in 2004 and broadcasting live from Graceland — remains one of the company’s most listened to channels and the top-rated artist-branded station.

Faye Clark and her sister Diane Ragan, top, view family heirlooms on display in the former "Hall of Gold" at Graceland as Clark's grandson Noah Davis sleeps through the experience. With the opening of a 200,000-square-foot multipurpose museum complex across the street from the mansion, all of Elvis' gold and platinum albums have been moved to a new museum space. (Photo: Jim Weber / The Commercial Appeal)

Stage: Following up the hit albums “If I Can Dream” and “The Wonder of You,” Elvis has been back performing in arenas — or at least a big-screen version of Presley, accompanied by a live symphony orchestra, has been selling out tours of Europe. The Presley show reaches the U.S. in August for a dozen dates, including Memphis' FedExForum, before more concerts in Europe and Australia.

FIn spring 2017, Elvis Presley Enterprises opened 200,000 square feet of new exhibits, museums and performance space behind Graceland Plaza, the longtime hub of mansion tours. (Photo: Brad Vest / The Commercial Appeal)

Television: Though CMT network’s “Sun Records” — a series focusing on producer Sam Phillips, his pioneering record label and eventual discovery of Elvis — was canceled after just one season in 2017, there will be more Elvis on the small screen soon. HBO has announced an as-yet-untitled documentary from Sony Pictures Television focusing on Presley’s life and music. The three-hour, two-part feature is being directed by Emmy and Grammy winner Thom Zimny (noted for his work on Bruce Springsteen documentary projects). It’s expected to air sometime in 2018.

Film: Last fall, Paramount Pictures announced it had acquired the rights to Elvis biographer Peter Guralnick's 2015 book on Sam Phillips, "The Man Who Invented Rock 'N' Roll," with the idea of bringing it to the big screen with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. Producers on that project include Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and music-loving financier Steve Bing. Jagger and Bing are among those also trying to bring Guralnick’s definitive two-part Presley biography, "Last Train to Memphis/Careless Love," to the screen at last. A film adaptation of Guralnick's bio has been in development for nearly two decades with various parties involved.