Where to watch ‘The Passion of the Christ’ on streaming: Free, rental, and purchase options

The Passion of the Christ is one of the greatest biblical films to ever grace the big screen. The 2004 film directed and co-written by Mel Gibson follows the emotional 12 hours before Christ’s death, which is known as “The Passion.” The film polarized critics but has since become the highest-grossing Christian film of all time.

As Easter draws closer you may find yourself in the mood to get to the core of what Easter is actually about, and it isn’t bunnies, and chocolate eggs; no, for Christians it is a time to remember how Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for humanity and rose again. Of course if you go back even further than this you will find that Christianity actually co-opted the holiday from a Pagan festival, just as they did with Christmas as well. Well, if there is already a holiday there why not just hop on board?

So getting back on track, The Passion of the Christ follows the 12 hours leading to Christ’s death. Judas’ betrayal, the arrest of Jesus, the trial, Peter’s denial, the bearing of the cross, and of course, the death of Christ upon the cross. The cast consists of Jim Caviezel as Jesus Christ, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, Mother of Christ, and Monica Bellucci as Mary Magdalene, amongst other actors, predominantly Italian, playing the disciples.

Many were unsure of what Gibson was trying to achieve when he set out to make this movie in which all the dialogue is either in Hebrew, Latin, or Aramaic. Apparently, Gibson had to be persuaded to add subtitles so the rest of us could know what on Earth was going on. It did however go on to become the fifth most popular film in 2004, grossing $612 million globally.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards after its release: Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Makeup. Though it didn’t win an of these, it won awards at a handful of other awards such as the People’s Choice award for Favorite Motion Picture Drama and the Hollywood Film Festival award for Hollywood Producer of the Year for Mel Gibson.

So if you wish to get into the Christian mood before Easter, or simply watch a great film, these are the locations you can head to.

You can watch The Passion of the Christ ad-free with an Amazon Prime (buy or rent) or Hulu subscription, or you can break up this epic emotional roller coaster with some ads if you watch it over on The Roku Channel, Peacock, Peacock Premium, and Tubi.