Apple TV Plus has quietly expanded its movie library in the US, and the streaming service has added a number of licensed movies not owned by the company for the first time.
In what appears to be an experimental move, the service is now offering subscribers plenty of older movies to watch for free, including big blockbusters like Anchorman along with the entire Hunger Games franchise.
The videos in question appear as suggested bonus content when browsing Spirited, Mythic Quest and Causeway – the three latest major Apple TV Plus releases that are exclusive to the platform.
For example, when users land on the page for the new Christmas musical comedy Spirited, they also have the option to watch several other movies also starring Will Ferrell or Ryan Reynolds, including Semi-Pro, Old School and Van Wilder.
Meanwhile, viewing the Echo 3 action movie gives you options to watch a selection of international thrillers, including Argo, Syriana, and Man on Fire.
A total of 20 movies, including Jennifer Lawrence’s hit Silver Linings Playbook, Kevin Smith’s Clerks and the Coen brothers’ classic The Hudsucker Proxy, are also among the movies available to watch for free to Apple TV Plus subscribers through November 30.
Movies are currently only offered to subscribers using Apple TV Plus in the United States, and the company currently doesn’t say if more classic movies will be added or if other regions will also get a similar library expansion.
Analysis: Small but potentially significant library growth
From the smart satire of Severance to the excellent cast comedy Bad Sisters, one look at our list of the best Apple TV Plus shows should convince many critics that the well-thought-out curation makes it arguably the most consistent streaming service for exclusive content.
It’s on a roll now with the addition of the seasonal musical Spirited and the imminent return of the beloved spy thriller Slow Horses, but the site’s most common criticism still remains – its library remains a bit light, especially compared to rivals like Netflix and Disney Plus.
As things stand, the average viewer can get through the best of Apple TV Plus in a matter of months.
With the recent price increase likely to leave many users wondering whether to keep their subscription, this quiet move to bolster the content offering is timely and we hope to expand it eventually.
These movies are only available to watch for a limited time, but if they are popular it would be great to have a rotating library of extra movies on the Apple TV Plus in the future, which would really add to the overall value. The fact that Apple picks out a set of movies is nice too – it feels like a curator rather than a bunch of movies you have to wade through on Netflix or Prime Video. Granted, not all movies so far are five-star masterpieces, but still.
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