There have always been full movies available to watch on YouTube (if you know where to look). And some were even available legally! However, there’s a new playlist making headlines, as it’s jam-packed with full Warner Bros. movies. Some of which are even worth watching.
How to Watch Warner Bros. Movies on YouTube for Free (Legally)
Over the past month or so, Warner Bros. has been uploading full movies to a YouTube playlist. There are now dozens of the company’s movies available to watch on YouTube, legally, for free, and with just the usual number of ads you’d have to sit through on any YouTube video.
The list is an eclectic one, for sure. There are old classics from the 1950s and 1960s, obscure cult films from the 1980s and 1990s, and some absolutely shocking films from across the years that are so bad that I’m not surprised that they’re being given away for free.
The good includes Michael Collins starring Liam Neeson, Waiting for Guffman starring Christopher Guest, and The Science of Sleep by Michael Gondry. The bad includes Hot to Trot starring Bobcat Goldthwait, Deal of the Century starring Chevy Chase, and American Ninja V starring David Bradley.
With such a weird mix of movies, I recommend quickly searching for one before sitting down with a bowl of popcorn to watch it. The likes of Rotten Tomatoes will soon tell you whether it’s worth wasting two hours of your life on.
While Rotten Tomatoes is the big name when it comes to recommendations, Letterboxd is a solid alternative.
The Rise of FAST Streaming Means Movies Are Everywhere
No one seems quite sure why Warner Bros. is uploading these movies to YouTube. Especially as the selection seems to be a strange mix of movies straddling multiple genres, and with release dates encompassing about 50 years.
It could just be that Warner Bros. wants these to be seen by as many people as possible. However, that seems unlikely in an age where almost all media is monetized to a certain degree.
What’s more likely is that, due to the rise of FAST (free, ad-supported television) services, classic movies and TV shows have lost a lot of their value. So, putting them on YouTube gets people watching, generates a small amount of income, and drives people to check out the various Warner Bros. YouTube channels that these movies have been uploaded to.
