PlayStation Plus Subscribers Can Now Get Free Movies
Sony Pictures Core library
Ever since PlayStation Plus was reworked to include new, more expensive tiers, it’s felt a little bit like the value was lacking. Sure, subscribers on the higher tiers got some extra games, but next to something like Xbox Game Pass it just didn’t feel like it was worth it. Now, with the relaunch of a streaming service, Sony is massively increasing the value proposition of its highest tier.
Sony announced today that it is rebranding its Bravia Core service, which is currently exclusive to Sony TVs and phones, to Sony Pictures Core. The newly rebranded service will soon be available – Sony says today – on PS4 and PS5, and will be rebranded on TVs and phones sometime next year.
Sony
Sony Pictures Core lets you buy, rent, and stream up to 2000 movies on your PS4 or PS5 console, and reportedly includes a bunch of high-profile releases, like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Uncharted, and the Gran Turismo movie.
Sony says that, in some regions, select Sony Pictures films will be available exclusively via Sony Pictures Core for an early access window, which is a nice addition — though you’ll still need to pay to watch it. Sony Pictures Core isn’t a streaming subscription service like Netflix, it’s essentially a storefront to buy or rent digital movies.
That said, for some PlayStation fans, it will act a little bit like a subscription service. That’s because PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe users will get access to a curated catalog of “up to” 100 movies. Sony promises the PS Plus catalog will be ad-free, and updated periodically, with movies like Looper, Elysium, Resident Evil Damnation, and Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV already on the service. That library will definitely vary by region, depending on licensing, but hey, more value is more value.
PlayStation Plus subscribers on lower tiers – Essential and Extra – won’t miss out entirely, though. In the announcement blog post, Sony says that there will be “additional benefits” for all PlayStation Plus subscribers, though it does not list what those benefits are, simply encouraging subscribers to “stay tuned” for further announcements.
Sony also teased that content from anime streaming service Crunchyroll will be joining Sony Pictures Core in the future, but didn’t mention what that content would be, or if it would be included for PS Plus subscribers. We’ll just have to wait and see.
