How to watch Elvis – is the Baz Luhrmann biopic available to stream?
The Elvis movie is now available on HBO Max.
Following his Golden Globes win, Austin Butler has received his first Academy Award nomination for his performance as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis.
Spanning over two decades, the movie explores the complex relationship between Parker and Elvis and tracks the singer’s rise and fall again amid America’s rapidly evolving cultural landscape.
Elvis also delves into the darker side of fame, as the singer grapples with his identity and how the world perceives him.
The Oscar nominations 2023 were announced today (Tuesday 24th January), with Brendan Fraser for “The Whale,” Colin Farrell for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Paul Mescal for “Aftersun” and Bill Nighy for “Living” all receiving nods for lead actor alongside Butler. Elvis earned seven other nominations including best picture.
So, if you’re wondering whether you can watch the Elvis movie from the comfort of your own home, then read on for everything you need to know about how to stream the biopic.
How to watch the Elvis movie
The Elvis movie landed on digital on 9th August 2022, meaning you can watch it from the comfort of your own home.
You can buy or rent the movie on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, and more.
In addition, the movie has finally land on HBO Max, meaning you can watch it for free if you're already a subscriber.
Is the Elvis movie available on DVD?
Yes, the movie was released on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on 13th September 2022.
You can get your hands on the Blu-ray of Elvis for only £9.99 on HMV.
For a higher price, you can also get the Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD Steelbook for £24.99.
When did the Elvis movie land in cinemas?
After multiple delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotly-anticipated Elvis Presley biopic landed in cinemas on 24th June 2022.
But first, the movie made its world premiere on 25th May at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
The festival broke the news back in April, alongside a never-before-seen image from production showing Butler alongside Hanks.
Elvis was originally announced back in 2019, with production kicking off in early 2020.
However, the filming and release dates have been pushed back multiple time due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Production first came to a halt after Hanks contracted the virus in March 2020, with Luhrmann telling Deadline at the time that they were “four days out from shooting”.
“I had built the Vegas showroom, the International which became the Hilton, and you know that famous scene where Elvis is playing that showroom?” he said.
“We were rehearsing camera positioning, everything, and I’d done all the tests, Austin, Tom, and the whole cast was on fire. We were that close.”
Who's in the cast of the new Elvis movie?
The following cast members have been confirmed for the new Elvis movie:
- Austin Butler as Evlis Presley
- Tom Hanks as Colonel Tom Parker
- Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla Presley
- Chaydon Jay as as preteen Elvis Presley
- Dacre Montgomery asSteve Binder
- Helen Thomson as asGladys Presley
- Richard Roxburgh as Vernon Presley
- Yola as Sister Rosetta Tharpe
- Alton Mason as Little Richard
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. as B.B. King
- Luke Bracey as Jerry Schilling
It was announced that Austin Butler (The Carrie Diaries, Switched at Birth) had been cast in the titular role back in July 2019 after impressing director Baz Luhrmann following multiple screen tests.
“I knew I couldn’t make this film if the casting wasn’t absolutely right, and we searched thoroughly for an actor with the ability to evoke the singular natural movement and vocal qualities of this peerless star, but also the inner vulnerability of the artist,” Luhrmann told Variety in a statement at the time.
He continued: “Throughout the casting process, it was an honour for me to encounter such a vast array of talent.
"I had heard about Austin Butler from his stand-out role opposite Denzel Washington in The Iceman Cometh on Broadway, and through a journey of extensive screen testing and music and performance workshops, I knew unequivocally that I had found someone who could embody the spirit of one of the world’s most iconic musical figures.”
Several big names had previously been linked to the role, with former One Directioner Harry Styles, and Baby Driver actor Ansel Elgort both reportedly having undergone screen tests alongside Miles Teller and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
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In October 2019, it was confirmed that Australian actress Olivia DeJonge, a Hollywood newcomer, had been cast in the role of Elvis’ wife Priscilla Presley.
“Olivia is capable of manifesting the complex depth and presence that has made Priscilla Presley an icon in her own right,” Luhrmann said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter) at the time.
“She’s an extremely talented young actor and the perfect counterpoint to Austin’s [Butler] Elvis.”
Elvis movie trailer
Warner Bros released a trailer for the biopic back in February 2022, giving fans a first look at Austin Butler as the iconic singer and Tom Hanks as his long-term manager.
"There are some who make me out to be the villain of this here story," Parker says in the opening of the trailer, before we see various key moments from throughout Elvis' career – including his first big performance and his reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King.
What's more, the trailer’s soundtrack includes a number of Presley’s most famous songs, including renditions of his iconic tracks Heartbreak Hotel and Unchained Melody.
Suitably, the final line we hear as the trailer comes to a close is: "Elvis has left the building." You can check out the trailer in full below.
A second trailer landed in May 2022, exploring the darker side of fame, as Elvis grapples with his identity and what people think of him.
"In that moment, Elvis the Man was sacrificed,” narrates Tom Hanks’ character, Elvis’s manager Tom Parker, as the singer graces the stage in front of a screaming audience. “And Elvis the God was born.”
The clip also gives fans a taste of the exciting soundtrack, with snippets of Butler’s renditions of Elvis songs, as well as various covers (listen out for Eminem and CeeLo Green's Jailhouse Rock-inspired number).
Watch below:
Elvis plot: What is the movie about?
Elvis tracks three decades in the life and career of the rock 'n' roll legend, as well as exploring the famously tumultuous relationship between Presley and Parker.
However, it looks like the movie will transcend the King himself, with Luhrmann previously explaining that Presley’s story would be "a canvas on which to explore America” in the 1950s, ‘60s and ’70s.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press at a launch event for the trailer back in February 2022, Luhrmann explained: "Without in any way invoking that I'm up there with a Shakespeare or someone like that, the great storytellers like Shakespeare didn't really do biographies. I mean, Shakespeare never really did the biography of King Richard.
"What they did was they took a life, and they used that life as a canvas to explore a larger idea. So I mean, a great biopic is terrific, but something like Amadeus, for example – it's not really about Mozart, it's about jealousy."
He continued: "Now, as a young guy, I was an Elvis fan. But I don't know that that fanhood was in any way the reason that all these years later I wanted to do Elvis. The truth is that in this modern era, the life of Elvis Presley could not be a better canvas on which to explore America in the '50s, the '60s, and the '70s.
"I mean, it's a mythical life that he lived, three great lives put into a short period of time. And what's extraordinary about it, is that that life is culturally at the centre of the '50s, and socially the '60s, and actually the '70s – and it's a great canvas on which to explore America. So that's what drew me in."
Elvis was released in UK cinemas on Friday 24th June 2022. Visit our Movies hub for the latest news and features, or find something to watch tonight with our TV Guide.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.