There are plenty of great Christmas movies you could watch this festive season. E.T. might not be one of them, but it’s a classic that’s great for all the family.
In case you’re unaware, it stars Henry Thomas as Elliott, a young boy who finds a friendly alien that has crash-landed on Earth. The two develop a great bond, before Elliott eventually helps E.T. to return to his home planet.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, the 1982 movie also stars Drew Barrymore in one of her earliest appearances.
Here’s how to stream, rent or buy E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial this Christmas. You may also be interested in our guide to the best UK Christmas TV this year.
Stream E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial online
In the UK, you can stream E.T. via Sky Cinema. TV packages start at £27 per month for a Sky Stream bundle, or £10 extra on top of any existing TV plan.
However, if you just want to watch E.T. and other great movies, it’s easier to simply get a Now Cinema subscription. This costs £9.99 per month, or £12 per month when combined with Now Entertainment for six months. Now Boost, which gets perks including 1080p video, costs £6 per month after a short free trial.
In the US, you can stream it via The Roku Channel for free. You’ll have to put up with occasional ads, but it’s certainly worth it.
.If you’re in the UK, you’re in luck. Netflix has E.T. and it’s available for subscribers to watch for free until 31 December. (Don’t have Netflix? Sign up here.)
Sadly, it’s not available on Netflix in the US. But we can point you towards the best VPNs for streaming.
Rent or buy the digital version
If you’re not satisfied with the options above, there are a few other ways to watch E.T. at home.
The first is by renting it for a short time. In the UK, you can do so via iTunes for £3.49. In the US, it’s Amazon or YouTube for $3.79 or iTunes for $3.99.
However, you may prefer to purchase the digital version. This costs £7.99 in the UK from the likes of Amazon, iTunes and YouTube. In the US, head to Amazon, iTunes or YouTube, where it’s $14.99.#
Buy the DVD or Blu-ray
If you prefer physical media, you can also get the E.T. DVD from Amazon for £4.99/$4.
On Blu-ray, it’s £7.62/$8.99.
Rent E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in digital format for cheap
There are loads of options if you want to rent a digital copy of E.T for a small fee online:
Buy E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial in digital format
If you want to own the film forever in digital format, you can buy the film from the same services at these prices:
Rent the DVD for free
There’s also a way to lease the E.T. 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.