MUBIThe Substance was one of the most acclaimed horror movies of 2024, and is set for Oscar glory in 2025, so here’s where you can now watch the movie, including streaming details.
Horror is rarely celebrated at the Academy Awards. Misery, The Silence of the Lambs, and Get Out all won major Oscars, but they are outliers in a genre that’s rarely taken seriously by Hollywood.
But The Substance is currently defying that principle, being nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. And while it probably won’t win that category, Demi Moore is currently the hot favorite for Best Actress, which we’re fully behind.
So here’s where and how you can watch the movie at home, in advance of what’s shaping up to be an eventful Oscar year.
How to watch The Substance
MUBIThe Substance hit screens in the US and UK on September 20, 2025, and was re-released in American theaters on January 17, 2025, to coincide with the Oscar nominations. Meaning the movie is still playing in some arthouse cinemas.
But Coralie Fargeat’s body horror is also available to rent and buy on digital. The Substance can currently be rented from Amazon Video, Apple, and Fandango at Home for $5.99. While you can purchase it from those same platforms for $12.99.
The film was also released on 4k, Blu-ray, and DVD on January 21, 2025 in the States, while it’s expected to hit Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on July 1, 2025.
The Substance streaming details
The Substance is now streaming on Mubi, who picked the movie up for somewhere between $12 million and $15 million before its Cannes premiere.
The film was a huge success for the distributor, grossing more than $77 million from an estimated budget of $17.5 million.
It hit then streaming on Halloween, launching on Mubi on October 31, 2024.
What’s the movie about?
MUBIHere’s the official synopsis for The Substance, as per Mubi: “Demi Moore gives a career-best performance as Elisabeth Sparkle, a former A-lister past her prime and drawn to the opportunity presented by a mysterious new drug. All it takes is one injection and she is reborn – temporarily – as the gorgeous, twentysomething Sue (Margaret Qualley). The only rule? Time needs to be split: exactly one week in one body, then one week in the other. No exceptions. Easy, right?”
The Substance is written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, who told Vogue what the movie is really about: “At every age, we can find something wrong with ourselves, which can make us feel like monsters. Your image defines you and your self-worth. But I thought that if I could create something meaningful about these issues, it could also serve as a form of liberation.”
For more acclaimed films, check out our list of 2024’s best movies as well as the best movies of 2025 so far. While to see where other Best Picture nominees are streaming, we’ve got guides to Anora, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune Part Two, Emilia Pérez, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys, and Wicked.
