Warner Bros. has been looking for ways to profit from its older movies for years. The company has tried different streaming services, including FilmStruck, which launched in 2018 but shut down within a year. Now, the studio is testing a new strategy putting some of its older films on YouTube for free while earning money through ads.
Since the beginning of 2025, Warner Bros. has uploaded 31 movies to its official YouTube channels. These films can be watched without paying, but they come with ads unless the viewer has a YouTube Premium subscription. The studio has also created a YouTube playlist with all the free titles.
The movies span different genres and decades. Some of the most well-known titles include Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, The Adventures of Pluto Nash with Eddie Murphy, Oh, God! featuring George Burns, The Mission starring Robert De Niro, and Waiting for Guffman. The most popular film so far is Jackie Chan’s 1997 action-comedy Mr. Nice Guy, which has gathered over 16 million views since its release on January 1.
Warner Bros. has previously allowed YouTube to stream its movies as part of YouTube’s free, ad-supported content section. However, this new test lets the studio control the films’ placement on its own channels, such as Warner Bros. Classics. The goal seems to be improving the visibility and discoverability of these titles. Warner Bros. has also made deals with other free, ad-supported platforms like Roku and Tubi. Notably, none of the films currently available on YouTube are included in Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s paid streaming service.
A message on the Warner Bros. Entertainment YouTube playlist promotes the free films, “Watch your favorite full movies here from Warner Bros. Entertainment! All your favorite legends are here including Jackie Chan, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine O’Hara, Tarzan, Liam Neeson, Julia Roberts, Eugene Levy, and more! Keep an eye out for more feature-length films for free, right here.”
The wording of this message suggests that Warner Bros. is trying to make these movies sound like major attractions, though the selection is a mix of cult classics, lesser-known films, and box-office failures.
Here’s the full list of movies currently available for free on YouTube:
- The Wind and the Lion (1975) – Sean Connery
- Michael Collins (1996)
- Mr. Nice Guy (1997) – Jackie Chan
- City Heat (1984) – Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds
- The 11th Hour (2007)
- The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) – Eddie Murphy
- Chaos Theory (2007) – Ryan Reynolds
- Waiting for Guffman (1996)
- American Ninja V (1993) – David Bradley
- Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) – Marlon Brando
- Dungeons & Dragons (2000)
- The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) – Tom Hanks
- Return of the Living Dead Part II (1998)
- The Accidental Tourist (1988)
- Critters 4 (1992)
- Murder in the First (1995) – Kevin Bacon, Gary Oldman
- The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) – Mel Gibson
- December Boys (2007)
- Lionheart (1987) – Eric Stoltz
- Oh, God! (1977) – John Denver, George Burns
- Crossing Delancey (1988)
- Price of Glory (2000) – Jimmy Smits
- Flight of the Living Dead: Outbreak on a Plane (2007)
- Deal of the Century (1983) – Chevy Chase
- Deathtrap (1982) – Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve
- The Mission (1986) – Robert De Niro
- SubUrbia (1996) – Directed by Richard Linklater
- Hot to Trot (1988) – Bobcat Goldthwait
- True Stories (1986) – David Byrne, John Goodman
- The Science of Sleep (2006)
- The Big Tease (1999) – Craig Ferguson