Imagine yourself at the end of a long day. You’re finished with work, and you want to unwind on the couch while watching a great film. But, when you open up your preferredstreaming service, you end upspending more time aimlessly scrolling through their catalog in search of something interesting than actually watching a movie. By the time you find something that sort of piques your interest, you feel it’s too late to embark on a two-hour viewing experience. This is a modern phenomenon that, let’s face it,we are all far too familiar with. Luckily, there is a solution to the never-ending scroll conundrum, though,and it comes in the form of services like Mubi.
Mubi is a godsend for serious cinephiles who are understandably a bit overwhelmed by the ever-widening streaming landscape. With many of the companies that make up that landscape frequently increasing their monthly fees, movie lovers are forced to find ways to get the most bang for their buck. And while some of the bigger-name services likePrime VideoandNetflixtechnically offer the largest number of total films, they tend to have a bit of aquantity over quality problem. Mubi, on the other hand, prioritizes showcasing the best possible cinema the world has to offer. As a film distributor as well, Mubi has recently become a bigger player in the festival acquisition scene, which has only resulted in more worthwhile selections being added to their library. For true movie fans, it is one of the best services out there.
What Is Mubi?
Mubi was first created under the name “The Auteurs” all the way back in 2007, making it one of the oldest existing streaming services. It wasn’t until 2010 that the name was officially switched to Mubi. Since the beginning, the company has seemingly placed an emphasis on propping up challenging, innovative, and inventive works of art. Ontheir website, it is stated that Mubi is “a place to discover ambitious films by visionary filmmakers — from iconic directors to emerging auteurs.” Moreover, aschampions of world cinema, Mubi has many offerings from countries all around the globe.
Though they may not have as many total titles as some of the bigger, more mainstream services, the team at Mubi spends a lot of time carefully considering what films to add,ensuring that all their selections are top quality. They are constantly rotating films in and out, as a way to keep the service feeling fresh and frequently present new options to their users. However, this also means exceptional movies are being taken off the service from time to time, so Mubi fans need to be diligent about checking things off their watchlist while they still can.
Mubi Is the Antidote for Netflix and Other Leading Streamers
When Netflix Ditched the DVDs and First Started Streaming, Its Library Was the Wild West — And It Was All the Better for It
The algorithm killed the Old West of streaming.
Mubi Is an Impressive and Important Streaming Service
It’s Got a Massive Library, It’s Got the Wildest Movies, It’s Free — So Why Are We All Sleeping on Tubi?
Where else would you go to watch some Z-grade horror flicks?!
In 2024, Mubi struck gold with horror phenomenon and Best Picture nominee,The Substance, after acquiring it just prior to its Cannes debut.Coralie Fargeat’s surprise hit became theirmost successful box office releaselast fall, grossing over $77 million worldwide.The Substance’s popularity was vital for Mubi, as it helped establish it as a legitimate name to be reckoned with in the world of film distribution. While they haven’t released anything else that’s made as big of a financial splash asThe Substance, they have been steadily backing films that have found immense critical acclaim. Recent examples includeCharlotte Wells' impressive debutAftersun— for which they handled the UK distribution —Park Chan-wook’s neo-noirDecision to Leave,Magnus von Horn’sBest International FeaturenomineeThe Girl with the Needle,Molly Manning Walker’s coming-of-age dramaHow to Have Sex, andAki Kaurismäki’s Cannes Jury Prize-winningFallen Leaves.
At $14.99, Mubi is acheaper optionthan many of the more well-known streaming services. Couple that with the fact that it places a much greater emphasis on curation and quality, and it clearly stands out as a better option for entertainment consumers who love film and care about its history. We, as cinephiles, should be grateful that services like Mubi exist and are making it their mission to support great films and the people who make them.
