Warner Bros releases 31 full-length films on YouTube, now viewers can enjoy them for free

Warner Bros Discovery added 31 free streaming movies to its offerings on YouTube. There is no payment and no subscription fee for accessing the movies. It is a move that comes amid criticism over its handling of works of creation following its 2021 merger with WarnerMedia and Discovery. It is under CEO David Zaslav's leadership.

Warner Bros Entertainment has added more than 31 of its feature titles for free streaming on its channel at YouTube. In its lineup is a mix of older hits, cult classics, and infamous flops of several eras. What is particularly significant about them is that most of them cannot be found on Warner Bros' streaming platform Max. There seems to be no apparent motive for such an act yet.

The movies that can now be watched for free on YouTube are from various genres and decades. Some of the titles include Michael Collins (1996), Waiting for Guffman (1996), The Mission (1986) and Deathtrap (1982). The list also includes flops like the 2000 Dungeons & Dragons movie, Bobcat Goldthwait's Hot to Trot (1988) and Eddie Murphy's The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002). Other movies include Marlon Brando's Mutiny on the Bounty and David Byrne's True Stories.

This move by Warner Bros is a departure from its previous strategy under CEO David Zaslav, who is known for removing shows and movies from the company's catalog. Projects like Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme, despite being in the final stages of production, were canceled before release/streaming availability. The decision to make free movies available on YouTube could be a shift for the company.

With a century-old legacy, Warner Bros has a huge film library and has always been looking for ways to monetize it without spending too much. In 2009, it launched the Warner Archive Collection, which allowed consumers to order DVDs and Blu-rays on demand. Later, the service also offered streaming and at one point even allowed users to download video files directly. However, not all films from this collection made it to Max. Some of the free movies are not available in India, but most are.