Find Free Movies (Legally) With WikiFlix, a Database of Public Domain Movies.
I love movies, especially when I can watch them for free: and while the latest Hollywood blockbusters may cost money to watch (at least for those who want to stay within the law), there’s an ever-growing collection of older films that you can watch online completely free.
The WikiFlix website (as Gizmodo staff noted) lists films available for online viewing that are now in the public domain. In the US, copyright effectively expires after 95 years, meaning that more and more new films are becoming available for free viewing every year.
If you’re looking for something classic for your next movie night, this one is definitely worth checking out.
WikiFlix is very easy to use; just go to the main page . It tracks movies uploaded to sites like Wikimedia Commons, YouTube, and the Internet Archive, and when you click a movie link, you can also see where it was taken. Once you select a movie, it starts streaming right in your browser window.
The main page is divided into categories by which you can browse content—including, as far as I remember, films by female directors, animated films, and biopics. There’s also a search button in the upper right corner if you know what you’re looking for. Next to the search button is an “Account” button, which allows you to register for a MediaWiki account if you’d like to contribute to the site.
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Hover your cursor over the main WikiFlix title at the top of the page, and a quick link to the “Movies by Year” section will appear. This is a convenient way to find the newest films added to WikiFlix and delve deeper into the archive—not all films here are in the public domain, as their copyrights have expired, and you’ll find newer titles here too.
Click on any thumbnail image to get more information about each film. You’ll typically find the director’s name, cast, running time, and a brief plot summary. Some films come with trailers (though you can also find them separately on sites like YouTube).
When you start watching a movie, standard playback controls appear, although the interface varies somewhat depending on the website hosting the movie. For example, movies hosted on YouTube typically allow you to adjust playback quality and speed. Some movies also come with subtitles.
Of course, a site like this would be dominated by the theme of old, classic films, but there is a lot to see here: Metropolis , It’s a Wonderful Life , All Quiet on the Western Front , Nosferatu , Charlie Chaplin’s comedy The Gold Rush , and much more.
Free online movie repositories aren’t as rare as you might think. We’ve previously written about the best free and legal streaming services for movies and TV shows , including ad-supported platforms like Tubi and PlutoTV. Again, the focus is on older films, but there are a huge number of free options available.