Feb 27, 2026 1:38pm IST
BTS Fan Baz Luhrmann Describes Upcoming ‘ARIRANG’ Tour as ‘Crushing,’ Compares the Band to Elvis Presley
Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrrman who is known for his films like “Moulin Rouge!,” “Romeo+Juliet,” “The Great Gatsby,” is busy promoting his documentary film, “EPiC: ELVIS PRESLEY IN CONCERT”. It is a known fact that he has been a fan of BTS for a long time. In an interview with Zach Sang, he said he is very keen to see what BTS has in store for fans in their upcoming tour. What has caught the attention of BTS fans, ‘ARMY,’ is the parallels he has drawn between Elvis Presley and the Bangtan Boys. At the height of his career, Presley was drafted into the Army from 1958 to 1960. At that time, he was known all over the world as a music icon. Luhrmann said that it is surprising to see how the popularity of BTS has not diminished over the years. Giving the example of his good friend, G-Dragon, he said it took him some time to regain his footing after he got discharged from the Korean military.
Baz Luhrmann on comparing Elvis to BTS when they went off to the army 💜 #BTS #ARMY #BTSARMY pic.twitter.com/3ejevd79gM
— Zach Sang Show (@ZachSangShow) February 26, 2026
Related Stories
Talking to Sang, he said he watched them perform at the Citi Field Stadium in New York in 2018. Luhrmann said the atmosphere reminded him of the times when people went crazy about The Beatles. He said he had read about the complexities of BTS enlisting in the military at the height of their popularity. Luhrmann said that while Stray Kids has the highest number of number ones on the American Billboard charts, their on-ground popularity is not as high as BTS.
He called himself a fan of K-Pop, who has been following the genre since the time of the 2AM and BIGBANG bands. Luhrmann also spoke about the Elvis Presley and South Korea connection. He said American soldiers posted in the peninsula after the War heard a lot of Elvis’ songs. This is how his name spread in that region. In the past, he had praised Jungkook for his music video, “Standing Next To You,” saying that it was nice to see young talents draw inspiration from his movie, “Romeo+Juliet” that released in 1996.
He also described the upcoming BTS "ARIRANG" tour as ‘crushing’ with the number of dates and cities being covered.
Comments are moderated. They may be edited for clarity and reprinting in whole or in part in Variety publications.