Liesl Nielsen, KSL.com
Entertainment
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SALT LAKE CITY — YouTube quietly added 99 free, ad-supported movies to its queue in October — including classics like “Rocky” and “Legally Blonde.”
The video streaming site has let viewers rent or buy movies and TV shows for years, but it is now offering full-length feature films for free, with ads interspersed every 15 minutes or so throughout the movie.
Most of the films were made available because of YouTube’s partnership with several Hollywood studios, according to Gizmodo. Though there are only 99 options currently available, the streaming service plans to add more.
While the selection of films isn’t incredibly new, there are some old favorites, including “The Terminator,” “Agent Cody Banks,” “The Man in the Iron Mask,” various iterations of “The Pink Panther” and “Rocky,” “Rocky II,” “Rocky III,” “Rocky IV” and “Rocky V” — in case you wanted to have a serious marathon during Thanksgiving break.
YouTube is also looking into other deals with advertisers, like sponsorships or exclusive screenings, that would essentially make a movie available on the advertisers’ dime, according to TechCrunch.
“However, that all pretty much depends on how studios evolve their businesses to account for these new digital streaming windows that are opening up,” Ad Age reports.
YouTube may have an advantage over other streaming services, however, thanks to its user base of about 1.9 billion active monthly users. The company can also target its ads using data from Google — making the ads much more valuable to companies looking to sell their products to the right consumer, TechCrunch reports.
In the meantime, enjoy the 99 free movies available to you. Here are a few to get you started:
If you like Ron Weasley: Rupert Grint stars in “Into the White,” a story about a group of British and German soldiers stranded in the wilderness after an aircraft battle during World War II.
“Into the White” is rated R for language.
If you’re still mourning Stan Lee: Sean Astin, Tobey Maguire, Roger Corman, Frank Miller and others discuss the life and career of Marvel comics legend Stan Lee in “With Great Power: The Stan Lee Story.”
If you love animals: “All Dogs go to Heaven” is a great watch if you like animated films that might make you cry, and “Good Boy!” is a fine pick if you want to watch dogs take over the world (who doesn’t). Finally, “Zookeeper” stars Kevin James, so … there’s that.
If you like watching well-known actors in lesser-known roles: Young Mandy Moore, Jena Malone and Macaulay Culkin star in “Saved!” while a fresh-faced Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom act alongside Patricia Clarkson in “Main Street.”
If it’s still a difficult decision, go with a tried-and-true classic like “Legally Blonde.”
What? Like it’s hard?
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
