Popcornflix Review: 5 things to know before signing up

Pocornflix is one of the several names you might encounter if you are looking for a streaming service. 

However, it is vital to know a few things about the platform before signing up. After all, until a few months ago, Popcornflix was offline, after its parent company, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, filed for bankruptcy. 

Below is a detailed review of the streaming platform with five top things you should know before deciding whether to sign up. 

1. Who owns Popcornflix? 

Popcornflix has undergone a  few transitions in the past few years. Until recently, it was owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which acquired it in 2017 after purchasing its parent company, Screen Media Ventures. 

In June 2024, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment filed for bankruptcy due to massive debts and heavy losses. Following this, Popcornflix and its sibling streaming services, Crackle and Redbox, ceased operations and went offline. 

However, in January 2025, Popcornflix roared back to life under new ownership. According to Lowpass, the streaming service was acquired by a trust linked to David Nagelberg. 

Nagelberg was an investor for the now-defunct Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. He reportedly acquired Popcornflix before the company filed for bankruptcy. 

While Nagelbegy’s trust owns Popcornflix, the revived streaming service is powered by technical support from Future Today, a streaming platform management company, which also works with services like Filmrise and CoComelon. 

2. Is Popcornflix free to watch? 

Before Popcornflix ceased operations in 2024, it was a free ad-supported streaming service. Fans of the platform will be pleased to know that this model has been retained after Popcornflix came back online. 

The streaming service is 100% completely free. In return for the free content, you must watch ads, which is how the platform generates revenue – as opposed to charging monthly subscription fees. 

One of the top things to love about Popcornflix is that the free content does not come with strict requirements, such as opening an account or limitations on simultaneous streams.

As a matter of fact, the platform’s website does not have a sign-up feature. Therefore, you only need to find something to watch, click play, and you’re good to go. 

3. What type of content can you stream? 

Before Popcornflix ceased operations, it had a massive library with over 1,500 titles. Currently, it is unclear whether the platform has retained its entire catalogue after its relaunch, though this is very unlikely. 

Nonetheless, the streaming service still features a decent content library, comprised of several movies and TV shows. Below is a detailed look at the library: 

Movies 

Popcornflix offers movies in various genres, including action, comedy, horror, crime, sci-fi, thrillers, and classics. 

As you would expect from a free streaming platform, none of the movies offered are very recent. However, you can find several decent movies to enjoy from the platform, with the top ones including: 

TV shows 

Popcornflix has a large collection of TV shows in various genres, from comedy to action, thrillers, crime dramas, adventure, and classics (including TV Westerns). It also features a decent collection of anime, reality TV shows, documentaries, and sports-related dramas. 

Like with the movies, you should not expect recent TV shows from Popcornflix. However, you can find some decent titles to watch, with the top options including: 

Note: Popcornflix used to have an originals section, where you could find original movies and TV shows. However, this feature is no longer available in the relaunched platform. 

4. How to watch Popcornflix? 

You can watch Popcornflix on the platform’s official website via browsers on your computer or mobile devices. 

You can also download the Popcornflix app, which is available on several devices, including: 

• Mobile devices (Android, iOS, and Fire Tablets) 
• Amazon Fire devices 
• Smart TVs (LG TVs, Samsung TVs, Google TVs, etc.) 
• Apple TV
• Chromecast and Google devices 
• Roku 
• Gaming consoles
• Kodi 

Note: After Popcornflix shut down in 2024, several platforms removed its app. Therefore, it may be unavailable on some devices, but this is likely to change in the coming months. 

In terms of region availability, the streaming service is only available in the United States and Canada. 

5. What is the user experience like? 

The user experience is another aspect of Popcornflix you should consider before signing up. 

Starting with the ads, you can expect some pre-roll ads and commercial breaks when streaming. The ad experience is similar to what you would find in several other free streaming services. 

However, according to a Reddit user, Popcornflix has not been displaying ads since its relaunch, but this might change soon as the platform continues to be updated. 

Besides the ads, Popcornflix has a minimalistic and uncluttered user interface that is very easy to use. You can find the navigation buttons (Home, Movies, TV Shows, and Search) at the top of the interface, making it easy to browse for content to watch. 

Content categories are another thing to love about Popcornflix. Instead of using genres, it curates the content into various unique categories like “Explosive Action”, “Black Cinema”, “Epic Adventures”, “Criminal Intent”, “Kick Ass Queens”, and “Feat Factory.” 

While the user experience is decent enough, there are a few things you might not like about Popcornflix, the major one being video quality. 

Most of the videos on the platform have a resolution similar to what you would find in a regular DVD movie, although this could be explained by the fact that some of the content is outdated.

Additionally, the Popcornflix player does not allow you to change resolution, which is annoying. 

Is Popcornflix worth it? 

Popcornflix is a free streaming service, and thus can be worth it, especially if you are tired of paying monthly subscription fees. However, you will need to tolerate ads, which can be annoying at times. 

The content selection is also limited, and the streaming service has not updated much since it was relaunched. Additionally, most of the content is outdated, with no recent movie or TV show releases. 

However, given that it is a free platform, whose only catch is watching ads, it can be a better option than paying expensive monthly subscription fees or streaming from illegal platforms.