Published Feb 1, 2026, 12:40 PM EST
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
It isn't necessary to break the bank to stream some of the greatest films of all time, and these gems are available for free right now in 2026. With the cost of streaming services continuing to creep upwards, and with so many streamers vying for attention, the modern moviegoing landscape can be quite overwhelming.
Thankfully, there are quite a few streaming platforms that deliver high-quality content on a monthly basis for free. Despite having no subscription fees, platforms like Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Pluto TV all carry top-tier movies. Films from every era are represented, and all the free streamers are stuffed to the brim with bona fide classics.
Instead of forking over cash each month, viewers can watch endless content in exchange for sitting through a few ad breaks. From instantly recognizable Oscar winners to subversive hidden gems, the sky is the limit when it comes to movies on free streaming platforms. The only difficult decision to be made is which of these great movies to watch first.
Hereditary (2018) - Tubi
Director Ari Aster gave horror a much-needed shot in the arm with Hereditary, and few supernatural thrillers have hit quite as hard. After their matriarch dies, a family begins to disintegrate as they are haunted by spirits and their own dark past. Unabashedly shocking, Hereditary finds new ways to scare the audience that have never been seen before.
Though the term "elevated horror" is often used to disparage the genre, Hereditary is a prime example of the elevated variety. It explores deeper themes without losing any of its biting edge, and it features surreal visuals that leave a lasting impact on viewers. Rarely are such blood-curdling chills given away for free on streaming.
The Birdcage (1996) - The Roku Channel
An American remake of the French classic, La Cage aux Folles, The Birdcage broke new ground for the LGBTQ+ community in mainstream cinema. A successful gay nightclub owner and his partner must pretend to be straight in order to impress his son's conservative in-laws. The duo of Nathan Lane and Robin Williams are a match made in comedy heaven.
Movies featuring gay characters as heroes and not punchlines were quite rare in the mid-'90s, and The Birdcage is as heartfelt as it is witty. Elaine May's screenplay is rich with hilarious nuance, and it is without a doubt a '90s comedy gem. The Birdcage is a perfect streaming movie because it can be watched over and over again.
Mulholland Drive (2001) - Tubi
David Lynch marched to the beat of his own drum, and 2001's Mulholland Drive can be seen as his magnum opus work of surrealism. The mind-bending story involves a young woman who moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams, only to get tangled in a nightmarish web. What starts as a linear story eventually devolves into dreamlike terror.
The films of David Lynch are always an acquired taste, but Mulholland Drive is the best of both worlds. It's both a compelling mystery with a lot to unpack, and an artistic marvel of unfiltered expression. It features a career-making performance by Naomi Watts, and is a strong introduction to the more avant-garde side of film.
Titanic (1997) - Pluto TV
Titanic completely rewrote the script for the blockbuster, and remains one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Told through the personal story of a young woman's yearning to be free, James Cameron's epic recounts the tragic maiden voyage of the titular ship. Instead of just focusing on the event, Titanic is rich with romance and emotion.
Mixing state-of-the-art technology and classic Hollywood magic, Titanic is a timeless movie that has something for everyone. It helped make Leonardo DiCaprio an A-lister, and proved that the winter months could produce blockbusters. Though a movie like Titanic is best enjoyed on the biggest screen possible, it works well as an at-home experience too.
The Truman Show (1998) - Pluto TV
Melinda Sue Gordon / ©Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett CollectionJim Carrey's first major foray into dramatic acting, The Truman Show is frighteningly prescient. Truman's entire life has been the subject of a reality TV show, and the title character begins to discover his world is manufactured. Predicting the rise of reality TV and the commodification of real life seen on social media, the movie is funny and thought-provoking.
Carrey's performance is stellar, and there is legitimate pathos in Truman's plight. While the film can be enjoyed on the surface level, there is a lot to unpack just below the surface. Few films for free on streaming are as important, and The Truman Show should be required viewing for anyone living in the 2020s.
Saving Private Ryan (1998) - Pluto TV
There are countless WWII movies, but Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan is certainly one of the best. A Captain leads his men behind enemy lines to rescue a soldier missing in action because he is the last remaining son from his family. With an ensemble cast of current and future stars, the war epic truly feels larger than life.
Though a bit of Spielberg's idyllic magic makes it onscreen, Saving Private Ryan never sugarcoats reality. It's violent, shocking, and at times, horrific, and Tom Hanks' performance as Captain Miller sells the entire experience. Made decades after the conflict concluded, Saving Private Ryan honors those who sacrificed while telling a perfect story in the process.
Goodfellas (1990) - The Roku Channel
Martin Scorsese is forever linked to the gangster genre, and it's all because he directed Goodfellas. The crime drama tells the story of Henry Hill, a man who rises through the ranks of the mafia family, only for his criminal enterprise to come crashing down. The film is carried by performance from Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci.
With its quippy ad-libbed dialogue and big characters, Goodfellas simultaneously glorifies the mafiosos while illustrating their greatest flaws. It's funny at times, but punctuated with scenes of shocking violence that completely recontextualize the story. Scorsese's directing is at its peak, and it deftly captures years of story in its two-and-a-half-hour running time.
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) - Tubi
Image by INSTARimages.comCapping off Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is often considered the height of the spaghetti western subgenre. Three outlaws try to outsmart and outgun each other as they fight for a fortune hidden in the desert during the Civil War. Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name has become one of cinema's most iconic characters.
A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are also streaming on Tubi.
With its frenetic editing, sweeping camera work, and soaring score by Ennio Morricone, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly revitalized the sagging western genre. It remains an all-time classic, and firmly established Eastwood as a star. Now that it's streaming for free, even viewers who don't like westerns can see what the hype is all about.
Pulp Fiction (1994) - Tubi
Few films exemplify the attitude of the mid-'90s quite like Pulp Fiction, and Quentin Tarantino's sophomore feature has stood the test of time. The lives of two hitmen intersect with several others, including various gangsters, robbers, and ne're-do-wells. The use of a non-linear narrative blew audience's minds when Pulp Fiction hit theaters.
Each vignette has charm, and Tarantino's ability to craft snarky dialogue is immediately evident. The fact that Pulp Fiction is so cohesive, despite its disparate elements, is a testament to the craft that went into making it. Being able to stream the movie for free allows viewers to really dig into the nuance, and Pulp Fiction constantly reveals itself.
The Godfather (1972) - The Roku Channel
One of the greatest films ever made, The Godfather is the peak of the New Hollywood movement of the '60s and '70s. The mob story follows Michael Corleone as he reluctantly joins the family business, only to be drawn in by the violence and betrayal of crime. Michael's storyline in The Godfather is one of cinema's most compelling arcs.
Every frame is art, and director Francis Ford Coppola guides the epic story with a deft hand. The Godfather is elevated beyond being simply a gangster picture, and is the sort of timeless classic that comes along once in a generation. To stream the movie for free is like getting a film school education in three hours.
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