Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, the critically acclaimed biographical musical drama, is now available to watch on TV via digital streaming, less than two months after its release in UK cinemas.
Elvis, which stars Austin Butler as the King Rock and Roll, came to digital VOD stores both as a Premium Rental and for digital purchasing on August 8, 2022.
The digital rental price of the 4K (UHD) version is currently £15.99 (where you get to watch it over 48 hours), while the digital purchase price (where you buy and own it) is £19.99 as of this writing.
The DVD and Blu-ray editions of Elvis are available to pre-order, and will be shipped on September 19, 2022 (see below for the bonuses and special features on the Blu-ray edition).
Filming for the film began back in 2020, but was delayed – like many other films – due to the pandemic. Eventually, the film was released in the US and the UK on June 24, 2022.
Elvis was a big success with both the critics and the audiences, becoming the second highest-grossing music biopic of all time behind Bohemian Rhapsody.
A thoroughly cinematic drama, Elvis Presley’s story is seen through the prism of his complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
As told by Parker, the film delves into the complex dynamic between the two spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America.
Central to that journey is one of the significant and influential people in Elvis’s life, Priscilla Presley (Olivia DeJonge).
To play additional iconic musical artists in the film, Luhrmann cast singer/songwriter Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe, model Alton Mason as Little Richard, Austin, Texas native Gary Clark Jr. as Arthur Crudup, and artist Shonka Dukureh as Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton.
In the US, the film is available at no extra cost, also from August 8, on HBO Max, a streaming service that includes shows and films from DC, HBO, Universal Pictures, WarnerBros and others.
A subscription to HBO Max currently costs $14.99/month, but it’s only available in the US (and a few other countries) – unless you use a VPN.
How To Watch Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis Online In The UK
In the UK, Elvis is available now on the digital VOD store platforms, both as a Premium Rental and for Digital Purchase.
Premium Rentals (also known as Home Premiere) offer films that were very recently available in cinemas, therefore the cost is higher than regular digital rentals.
As with all video rentals, once you start playing a digital rental, you only have 48 hours to complete your watching.
A Digital Purchase lets you “own” and stream the digital copy of the film indefinitely, via the VOD store you bought it on.
The digital purchase price, as of this writing, is £19.99, and the Premium Digital Rental price is £15.99.
Previous Premium Rentals from Warner Bros., such as The Matrix Resurrections and Wonder Woman 1984,also cost £15.99 for their Home Premiere.
The film will is available on some of the leading UK streaming services, such as Amazon’s Prime Video store, Google Play Store, Rakuten TV, and other streaming video stores.
While still more than a month after the film’s theatrical release (in the UK), at just 45 days it is still earlier than films of the past, where we had to wait several months before films transferred from movie theatres to home entertainment.
The Premium Digital Ownership version includes the following special features:
- Bigger Than Life: The Making of Elvis
- Rock ‘N Roll Royalty: The Music & Artists Behind Elvis
- Fit for a King; The Style of Elvis
- Viva Australia: Recreating Iconic Locations for Elvis
- “Trouble” Lyric Video
The physical DVD and Blu-ray versions of Elvis are already available to pre-order, and are expected to ship on September 19, 2022.
The 4K Blu-ray version of Elvis will include the following special features:
- Bigger Than Life: The Story of Elvis
- Rock ‘N Roll Royalty: The Music & Artists Behind Elvis
- Fit for a King; The Style of Elvis
- Viva Australia: Recreating Iconic Locations for Elvis
- “Trouble” Lyric Video
Will Elvis Come To Netflix In The UK?
Typically, films tend to jump from digital VOD stores to subscription-based streaming services a few months after they’re released for purchasing (though sometimes it takes even longer).
However, in the UK, new Warner Bros. films tend to end up on Sky and their streaming service, NOW – and not on Netflix. That was the case with The Suicide Squad, Dune and others in recent years.
(This article was originally published on August 1, 2022, and later updated with additional information).
(Featured Image: Warner Bros / Hugh Stewart)
HBO max is not available only in the US. It’s also available across LATAM and parts of Europe, but not the UK at the moment.