What would Christmas be without a classic comedy that the whole family can watch together? Elf, directed by Jon Favreau, is one of those films that no holiday season is complete without.
Led by Will Ferrell as Buddy, Elf follows a human who has been raised as… well… Santa’s elf. After discovering he’s not like the other elves, Buddy leaves the North Pole and heads to New York City to meet his biological father.
Before Buddy achieves his goal, he encounters many surprising adventures and bizarre events. Elf is a movie that can be enjoyed by adults and children alike – and the good news is that there are plenty of options for watching it in the UK or the US this Christmas.
How to stream Elf
UK
Unfortunately, you can only watch Elf for free if you have a Sky TV package. These start at £22 per month for a Sky Stream bundle, or £8 extra on top of any existing TV plan. Elf will be airing on multiple Sky channels during the festive period, including Sky Cinema Select and Sky Showcase.
However, if you don’t have a TV package, it may just be easier to pay for a Now Cinema Membership. The regular price is £9.99 per month. However, currently you can use a special offer and get Now membership for £6.99 per month for 12 months.
Another option is to choose the Cinema and Entertainment bundle, and pay only £8.99 a month for a year, instead of £19.98.
US
American viewers have far fewer options for watching Elf. In the US, you can only stream the movie on HBO Max – what’s more, it will disappear from the platform at the end of December.
The basic ad-supported subscription costs $10.99 a month or $109.99 a year. You can upgrade to the Standard HBO Max plan for $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year.
Rent or buy the digital version
If you’re not satisfied with the options above, there are a few other ways to watch Elf at home.
The first is by renting it for a short time.
In the UK, you can do so via Amazon, iTunes, Rakuten TV or Sky Store for £3.49.
In the US, it’s Amazon, iTunes, Fandango at Home or Spectrum for $3.99. You also rent it via Plex for $2.99
However, you may prefer to purchase the digital version.
This costs £6.99 in the UK from the likes of Amazon and iTunes. On Sky Store you can get Elf for £5.99 and on Rakuten TV for £7.99.
In the US, it’s $7.99 from Amazon, iTunes, and Fandango at Home.
Buy the Elf DVD or Blu-ray
If you prefer physical media, you can also get the Elf DVD from Amazon for £2.94/$11.45.
Rent the Elf DVD for free
There’s also a way to lease the Elf DVD for free. Cinema Paradiso is a DVD rental subscription service which offers a 30-day free trial on all the plans available.
Redbox is a good equivalent in the US, but there’s no free trial available.