It is likely that, if you are reading this article, you were looking for a specific movie but you have not found it on Netflix, HBO, Prime Video, Disney + or any of the many streaming content services. And it is that unfortunately, the catalog of these platforms does not cover all the cinema in history. But of course, as with everything in life, there is a solution to this problem: the online movie rental. Today we explain what it consists of, what are the best platforms to rent and also how to locate the movie What did you want to see.
Online video stores: the B side of streaming services
You may have forgotten or you did not live in that era directly, but there was a time when movies could be rented and they were not only available on Netflix or Prime Video.
you were going to a videoclub and, after keeping an eye on a wall or a shelf full of covers, you chose a title that you were going to rent for one or several days to see at home. In exchange, you paid an amount of money corresponding to the time you were going to have that movie. And the best thing is that if you were late in returning it, you had to pay a surcharge.
With the advent of the internet and content services such as Disney+ or Netflix, the truth is that if they have not disappeared, the video stores that are still open will not last long.
Best content platforms to rent movies
To bring the spirit of video stores to our homes (and to earn some other euro more), some of these platforms have established a online rental service.
Thanks to this, if we want to see a title that is not in its usual catalogue, we will be able to pay an amount that will depend on the film, for having access to it for a certain time. This is exactly what we are talking about below, along with what are the best rental services that we can access.
Apple TV
The first service we want to talk about is the Apple TV, which was one of the pioneers in this online movie rental. The most common is that this service is used by those users who have a product from the apple company: iPad, iPhone, Mac, or an Apple TV (the device). Within this platform we will have access to the rental or purchase of super-known titles, in addition to being able to access the streaming content service called Apple TV +.
The usual prices for movie rentals on Apple TV are usually around 4,99 Euros for the most recent titles, and 3,99 euros for those of less interest or who have been available for a longer time. The conditions for viewing are the following:
- Since you make the payment you have a total of 30 days to watch the movie.
- The moment you start viewing, you will have the rental available for the remaining 48 hours. After this period ends, you will have to pay for it again even if you did not finish watching it.
Google Play
Another of the most used platforms for online movie rental is the platform itself. Google Play. And it is that, in addition to using this store to download applications on our Android phones or on Smart TVs, we can also rent movies here. To do this, it will be as simple as entering the store through any device or in the browser, and clicking on the "Movies" menu to access the entire catalog available.
From here, the price will depend on the "demand" for this film or, rather, how new or claimed it is. That is, the cost of the rental may vary from 3,99 euros, for slightly older titles, up to 12,99 euros of those films that are still on the theater billboard. As in the previous case, we will have 30 days to view the rented content and, when we press play for the first time, we will have 48 hours of rental.
Amazon Prime Video
Who does not know the content platform of Amazon Prime Video Today. Through it, which we can access thanks to the Amazon Prime subscription, we will have an infinite number of series, films and documentaries available.
Well, to curl the loop, Amazon also offers from here the option to rent or buy movies that are not available with "free access" from its paid content platform. In order to reach these titles, we can do it through the search engine itself, or, alternatively, reach the entire catalog of rental films by clicking on the menu "Shop".
The prices that Amazon Prime Video handles for rental range from 1,99 euros, for those slightly older options, up to 12,99 euros for titles that may still be in theaters or that were recently. They even include the Premiere Access alternative like Disney+, with the same cost of 21,99 euros. And, in terms of timing, more of the same we've seen so far:
- 30 days to start watching the movie.
- 48 hours of rent since we begin to see it.
YouTube
You may have no idea about this but that's right, in YouTube you can also rent or buy movies. If you want to know what is the available catalog that this platform has, you only have to go to its interface and move to the "More from YouTube" section. This is where we can see everything about YouTube Premium, YouTube Gaming and, as we said, the catalog of series and movies available.
Once you choose the title you want to rent, all you have to do is click on its thumbnail. Here the trailer will automatically begin to play, along with certain information such as the plot, cast, etc. By clicking on "Rent", which we see superimposed on the trailer itself, we will see the different options. prices go from 2,99 and 3,99 euros for the content hands demanded (the option of 2,99 euros is for a low quality version, which we do not recommend), up to 12,99 euros for recent releases.
Microsoft Store
Within the catalog of available options we also find the one provided by the Microsoft Store. This, like Google Play, is not just an application store where we can download apps for our Windows computers. There is a catalog of movies that we can rent or buy.
On this occasion, the period of time to start seeing the content that we rent is only 14 days and, like the rest, from the moment we start to see it we will have 48 hours to finish it. The prices that are handled on this platform are from 2,99 euros to 12,99 euros for premieres. If you are wondering about compatibility, we can consume its content from a Windows computer, on Xbox (Microsoft consoles) or from Hololens (augmented reality glasses).
The film
The case of The film It is similar to Amazon Prime Video which, in addition to its paid streaming content catalogue, also has a movie rental service with additional payment. In this case, the price is around 3,99 Euros for all the titles and something more for the most recent ones. Since we rent (pay) the content we want to see, we will have 72 hours to do so.
Rakuten TV
Lastly, we would like to recommend the service of Rakuten TV, another of the great content platforms where you can rent or buy movies. This has many options to view movies for free but with ads. But then, it also has the "Cinema" category where we find many options for rent.
Again, prices can be around from 3,99 euros to 12,99 euros for theatrical releases. As soon as we rent the title we choose, we will have 48 hours to consume it before it disappears from our catalog.
How to know which streaming service a movie is on?
Surely you have ever wanted to see a movie, which you had no idea where it could be available for viewing. You start with Netflix, then HBO, going through Prime Video and, possibly, it is in the last option you consult.
Well, although there are many other services that offer this use, we want to recommend the option of JustWatch. Through its website, we will only have to put the name of the film that we want to locate in the search engine and, once found, the platform itself will indicate which content services are available in a "normal" way, for rent or purchase . So you never have to go crazy trying to locate that movie you wanted to see.