Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the surprising sequel to the popular 80’s film franchise, is now available on digital streaming in the UK, and you can watch it on your TV less than two months after its theatrical release.
And, unlike similar films (such as Dune and No Time To Die) that arrived on digital streaming platforms earlier than expected – Ghostbusters: Afterlife is not a Premium Rental, but is instead already available to purchase and own digitally, at a lower cost than past Premium Rentals.
The digital rental version of the film was released in the UK on January 10, 2022. Check the prices here:
In the US, the film became available to stream and watch on TV a week before the UK – on January 4, 2022. DVD and Blu-ray versions will also be released soon (see full details below).
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was directed by Jason Reitman, the son of Ivan Reitman (who directed the two original Ghostbusters films back in the 80’s, and is also one of the producers of Afterlife).
The film is a nostalgic reboot/sequel to the originals, and takes place 32 years after the events of the first film in the series.
It follows the story of a single mother and her two children, who move to a new town, only to discover they have a connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind. And soon enough – the ghosts appear…
The film stars Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace, with several of the original cast members – including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson, reprising their roles from the original franchise.
Ghostbusters: Afterlife was originally scheduled to be released in cinemas in July 2020 – but has been delayed four times, like many other pandemic-era films.
Eventually, it was released in UK cinemas on November 18, 2021 (and a day later in the US).
How To Watch Ghostbusters: Afterlife Online In The UK
In the UK, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is available to buy and stream digitally from January 10, 2022 – that’s just 53 days after its theatrical release.
While that window isn’t as short as some other recent films (Dune came to streaming 46 days after its release in cinemas, and Wonder Woman 1984 only took 28 days), it’s still a much shorter home release window than the months-long ones we’ve been used to in the past.
As we reported before, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is not a Premium Digital Rental (those usually cost £15.99 for 48 hours of watching) – instead, it is available to purchase and own (digitally) right from the start.
At launch, the price is £13.99 for both the UltraHD (4K) and HD versions, and £9.99 for the SD version. You can buy it on Amazon’s VOD store.
The film is also available on other digital VOD platforms in the UK – such as Apple TV, Rakuten TV and Google Play Store.
A few weeks after the streaming release, Ghostbusters: Afterlife will also be released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray.
You can already pre-order the physical editions on Amazon, and while a final UK release date hasn’t been announced yet, in the US the DVD and Blu-rays are set to drop on February 1 – so we can assume it’ll be close to that date in the UK.
On Amazon, the expected release date for the physical versions currently shows up as January 31, 2022 – but since this is a pre-order, the final date may still change.
Will Ghostbusters: Afterlife Come To Netflix In The UK?
Unlike Disney+ or HBO Max (in the US), Sony Pictures – who produced the sequel – don’t have their own streaming service. Therefore, they rely on other digital streaming services.
Usually, films tend to jump from digital VOD stores to subscription-based streaming a few months after they’re released to purchase (though sometimes it takes even longer).
In the UK, Ghostbusters: Afterlife might end up on Netflix (which is where the original film is currently streaming), or, potentially, on Amazon’s Prime Video, Sky’s NOW or even Disney+.
We’ll update once we have more information – so make sure you Subscribe to our free newsletter.
(The first version of this article was published on November 19, 2021)