Though there are plenty of hopeful science fiction movies out there to stream about the courageous and indomitable nature of human spirit, sometimes you just want to watch the world burn. And few movies encapsulate that more than 2013’s Elysium.
Directed by Neill Blomkamp and starring Matt Damon, Sharlto Copley, Jodie Foster, and Diego Luna, Elysium was underappreciated when it was released over a decade ago, performing poorly at the box office and quietly disappearing from the science fiction zeitgeist. However, though the film was overshadowed in the 2010s by more inspiring titles like Interstellar and The Martian, I think Elysium is worth another look in 2026.
The movie takes 100 years in the future on an overpopulated, diseased, and heavily polluted Earth where poor citizens live in extreme poverty while the rich and powerful live luxuriously on the titular space station Elysium, orbiting high above the planet. Matt Damon plays Max, who is suffering from fatal radiation poisoning and plans on sneaking into Elysium to take advantage of their advanced medical technology to cure his illness. However, as various factions both on Earth and Elysium become aware of his plan, things begin to spiral out of control and his one-man mission becomes a lot bigger than anyone could have imagined.
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Hemlock Grove, Babylon 5, Spartacus, Gotham, Columbo
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Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, Child’s Play, White House Down, Knives Out, It
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Tubi is a free streaming platform that offers a vast collection of TV shows, movies, and even access to live TV channels. Tubi is available across all major platforms via a dedicated application or via the web.
Elysium is now free to stream on Tubi
The usual purchase options also exist
As part of its July 2026 update, Tubi has added hundreds of new films to its library, including Elysium, which you can watch for free in its entirety (with a few ad breaks) here. If you’d rather watch the movie without ads, you can do so via the usual VOD streaming services, including Apple TV, Fandango at Home and Amazon Prime Video, which all have the film available ad-free to both purchase or rent.
The film is also available on several physical formats, including 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD, all available at Amazon.
Tubi has plenty of other sci-fi movies streaming this month
A treasure trove of free movies
If you can’t get enough sci-fi after watching Elysium, Tubi has hundreds of free titles perfect for your next watch. Standout titles include Transformers, Snowpiercer, Ex Machina, and The Fifth Element. You can browse all of Tubi’s sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV shows at the streaming service’s genre page here. Tubi is also constantly updating its library, so if there isn’t something you want to watch right now, you can peruse the streamer’s upcoming titles here.
- Release Date
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August 9, 2013
- Runtime
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109 minutes
- Director
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Neill Blomkamp
