Over the years, Warner Bros. has been trying to monetize its catalog of old films through a variety of subscription streaming services, including FilmStruck, which closed within a year after its release in 2018.
Now, Warner Bros. Entertainment has quietly taken a new approach to bringing content to YouTube to farm movie catalogs for digital advertising revenue.
Since its launch in 2025, the company has released 31 movies on its YouTube channel owned by Warner Bros., all available for free. Unless you are a YouTube Premium Subscriber, the movie includes ads. Warner Bros. has released YouTube playlists with free movies available at this link.
The titles vary, cut across genres, and there are several films on the list that go back decades. The film features George Burns, starring Eddie Murphy, in the nominal roles, including Mission, Waiting for Gaffman, and Leans of the World, starring Robert De Niro. The Living Dead Part II, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Climate Change Documentary “11 Hours.”
Batch’s most-watched film is Mr. Nice Guy, starring the 1997 action comedy Jackie Chan (pictured above). WB’s release of the film on YouTube was discovered by Gizmodo.
Warner Bros. previously licensed movies to YouTube for free ad-supported movies and television sections of the video platform. What’s new is that studios now have free titles available on Warner Bros. channels (such as Warner Bros. Classic) in tests on YouTube to improve their vision and discoverability. Meanwhile, WBD is also reducing transactions to license content to free, ad-supported platforms Roku and Tubi.
Please note that movies streaming free on YouTube are currently not available on Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s subscription streaming service.
“Check out your favorite full movies from Warner Bros Entertainment!” says the message from the Warner Bros. Entertainment Playlist on YouTube. “All your favourite legends include Jackie Chan, Ryan Reynolds, Katherine O’Hara, Tarzan, Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, Eugene Levy and more! Here’s more feature films for free Please do so.” (The use of the blurb phrase for the word “favorite” is probably ambitious.)
The full list of Warner Bros. titles is currently available for free on YouTube.
Starring “The Wind and the Lion” (1975), “Michael Collins” (1996), “Mr. Nice Guy” (1997), Jackie Chan’s “City Heat” (1984), and Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds “The 11th Hour” (2007), “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” (2002), Eddie Murphy, “The Theory of Chaos” (2007), starring Ryan Reynolds, “Waiting for Guffman” (1996), and “American Ninja V” (1993) starring I will. 1990) Tom Hanks, “Return of the Living Dead Part II” (1998) (1988) (1988) “Critters 4” (1992) “First In the First” (1995) Kevin Bacon and Gary Oldman “The Mel starring Year・Gibson’s “December Boys” (2007), “Lion Heart” (1987), “Dangerously Living” (1982), “Ah, God!” (1977), starring Eric Stoltz Denver and George Burns, “Crossing Delancey” (1988), “Price of Glory” (2000), (2000), Jimmy Smits, “Flight of the Living Dead: Autbreak on a Flight” (2007), “Contract of the Century” (1983) ) Richard Linklater, starring Chevy Chase’s Destrap (1982), starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve’s “Mission” (1986), starring Richard Linklater, starring Robert De Niro’s “Subervia” (1996), starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve’s “Mission” (1986), starring Chevy Chase’s “Destrap” (1982), starring Robert De Niro’s “Subervia” (1996), starring Steve Zahn and Giovanni Libizi, “Hot Trot” (1988), Bobcat Goldthwait, “True Stories” (1986), David Byrne and John Goodman, “The Science of Sleep” (2006), (2006), “The The Big Tease” ( 1999)
