Streaming

How To Stream Elvis

There’s more than one way to watch Baz Luhrmann’s biopic at home.

Updated: 
Originally Published: 
Austin Butler in 'Elvis.'
Warner Bros.

Elvis, the glitzy new biopic of Elvis Presley, is the first film from director Baz Luhrmann since 2013’s The Great Gatsby. Starring Austin Butler as Presley and Tom Hanks as his manager Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis bears all the hallmarks of a Luhrmann production: sequins, anachronistic pop music, swooping camera movements, and melodrama. Former teen star Butler matches the director’s commitment with his immersive performance as the iconic star — in fact, as of the Golden Globes, he still hadn’t dropped Presley’s accent.

Luhrmann, who’s best known as the director of the visually distinctive Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet, was a fan of Elvis as a child, and developed Elvis over the course of 10 years. In an interview with IndieWire, he explained that he spent that time meticulously researching the singer’s life, speaking to people who’d known him, and coming to understand him as a performer. He also told IndieWire that he hoped his film will connect the legend to a generation of younger listeners — perhaps that’s why the film’s soundtrack mixes Presley’s crooning voice with the stylings of artists like Doja Cat and Kacey Musgraves.

If you haven’t seen Elvis yet, now’s the time. The film is nominated for a whopping eight Oscars, including a nod for Butler’s performance, and for the biggest prize of the night: Best Picture. Fortunately, it’s not too late: There’s more than one way to catch the movie at home.

Below, how to stream Elvis at home.

How To Stream Elvis

Elvis is streaming HBO Max, and subscribers on either of the streamer’s plans can watch the film. (Viewers can choose between a “with ads” plan for $9.99 per month, and an “ad-free” plan for $14.99.)

The film is also available to purchase or rent on video-on-demand platforms, like Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and Google Play, among others.

How Critics Have Responded To Elvis

Responses to Luhrmann’s Elvis have been strong, to say the least. The New York Times’ A.O. Scott was unimpressed by how the film “teeters between glib revisionism and zombie mythology, unsure if it wants to be a lavish pop fable or a tragic melodrama,” and IndieWire’s David Ehrlich slammed it as “a sadistically monotonous super-montage.”

Still, the film maintains an 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 64% on Metacritic — and its success this awards season speaks for itself.

This article was originally published on