11 Best Ways To Get Paid To Watch Movies in 2025

We all spend plenty of time watching movies or bingeing TV shows, but imagine if that screen time could actually pay you. Turns out, there are quite a few ways to make extra cash while you kick back and enjoy your favorite films.

I used to think watching movies was just a way to relax after a long day – until I realized there were actually sites and gigs out there that would pay me for it. At first, I was skeptical, but once I started exploring a few of them, I was surprised by how easy it was to earn a little side money just doing something I really enjoy.

This isn’t one of those get-rich-quick schemes (because who really believes those?), but it’s a legit way to turn something you already enjoy into a side hustle. Whether it’s trailers, full movies, or reviewing shows, these options can help you earn a little extra without feeling like work.

And honestly, getting paid to do something that used to feel like a “guilty pleasure”? It’s a pretty sweet upgrade.

How Much Money Can You Earn Watching Movies?

There’s no magic number here, but depending on your time, a few hundred bucks a month isn’t out of reach. And for something you’re already doing in your downtime? Not bad.

I’ve personally used a few of these methods, and while none of them made me rich, they’ve definitely helped with holiday shopping or covering unexpected expenses.

11 Ways to Get Paid to Watch Movies

Now it’s time to reveal the trade secrets and show you the best and most legitimate ways to make extra money watching movies.

Whether you want to get paid for reviewing films, testing movie-related apps, or watching short video clips, these opportunities can turn your screen time into a side hustle.

In this list, I’ll explore 11 legitimate ways to start earning extra cash while watching movies, movie trailers, and other video content in your free time.

1. InboxDollars ($5 signup bonus)

InboxDollars is a well-known platform that lets you earn money in multiple ways, with paid surveys being its standout feature. But did you know you can also make money just by watching videos?

With InboxDollars Videos, you get paid to watch free content from their partners, including movie previews, celebrity clips, and other short videos. While it’s not a movie-focused program, you can earn by watching video playlists that range from a few minutes to an hour.

New users also get a $5 signup bonus, but to reach $200 per month, you’ll need to stay active—survey apps require consistency to generate meaningful income.

2. Swagbucks (Earn $5 bonus)

If you’re looking into ways to make side money, Swagbucks is one of the most recognized online platforms. The Swagbucks mobile app is the premier app for online surveys.

It also offers ways to earn money online by watching movies, movie trailers, and other videos throughout playlists. You can also earn rewards by shopping online and playing games.

One Swagbucks credit equals one cent; you get five dollars on sign up and anything else you earn through your hard work or referral programs. You can redeem your rewards points for gift cards or through a PayPal account.

3. MyPoints ($10 bonus)

MyPoints is a rewards platform where users can earn points by engaging in various activities such as online shopping, taking surveys, playing games, and more.

These points can be redeemed for gift cards, cash via PayPal, airline miles, or shopping vouchers.

Upon signing up, new members receive a $2 welcome bonus after confirming their email address.

Additionally, if a new member spends $20 or more through MyPoints within their first 30 days, they earn an extra 1,750 points, equivalent to approximately $10.

While MyPoints offers various earning opportunities, it’s primarily known for its surveys and shopping rewards. Therefore, it may not be the most efficient platform for earning extra cash solely through activities like watching videos.

I’ve personally used MyPoints for years and love it. I’ve racked up several gift cards over time just from opening emails and viewing offers. There aren’t a ton of movie-related tasks, but it’s still one of the easiest ways I’ve found to build up points without really thinking about it.

4. Join a Focus Group

Focus groups are always looking for potential clients to help them with company feedback, and movie productions could use this feedback just as much as anyone.

The only way movies make money is if people are going to theaters to watch them, and that is not always a guarantee. Art in itself will be subjective, and not everyone will want to go for each movie.

Websites like Pinecone Research will connect people with ways to achieve their movie-watching money-making goals, and it can help you get even more connections and methods of earning rewards.

Focus groups are everywhere, but you must search for it online to find these opportunities!

5. Nielsen

Nielsen is one of the simplest ways to make money. If you have ever been interested in television program ratings, you’ve seen Nielsen Ratings thrown around.

They will pay you $50 a year to track your watching tendencies if you download and install their app. You can even win more cash and prizes through its monthly sweepstakes on the app each month.

This one requires little effort, but you won’t see instant payouts. Still, $50/year for doing nothing is pretty sweet.

6. Checker Patrol

Checker Patrol assists any company looking to market products towards its customers, from restaurant owners to marketing advertisers, exhibition chains to theaters, and more.

Basically, there are a few different aspects to being a checker, and movie studios want to know this information from your local movie theaters:

• Open Checking: You would be going to a location to answer a questionnaire about the establishment. There’s no need to act incognito because its workers know you are there.
• Blind Checking: This is just like open checking, but you must remain undercover as mystery shoppers. Many people buy tickets, and you’ll need to blend in with them.
• Trailer Checking: This requires you to arrive at a theatre before a movie showing and watch movie previews running before the movie.
• Sneak Preview Checking: When a movie is set to release in a few years or coming weeks, your job as a sneak preview checker will be to collect data at these sneak previews, such as how many people attended the events and more.

Working on checker control is a cool way to make sure you get some extra cash by watching movies and getting out of the house! This may even be an easy job for your teen to earn points.

You’ll learn lots of info from box office information, visit movie theaters, and earn some money, a gift card, or other rewards to make your dream come true.

7. VeriTES Field Force

VeriTES is similar to being a checker. Basically, you will be checking movie theaters on a secret basis as mystery shoppers to ensure everything is set up the way Hollywood wants it to be. It’s an important role that people don’t realize happens quite frequently around the country.

Once there, you will be responsible for collecting information on movie previews, customer surveys, lobby checks, seating capacity checks, and more. Over 50,000 people currently work for VeriTES. If you consider yourself an introvert, this is certainly not a job where you work alone.

I’ve always thought this one felt like a behind-the-scenes mission – getting paid to be a “fly on the wall” in the theater world. And if you’re already someone who loves going to the movies, why not get paid for it?

This is more active than just watching videos; it requires some reporting and in-person attendance. But it’s a great option for movie buffs who don’t mind field work.

8. In-theater Checks with Market Force

Market Force Information is another company that provides mystery shopping opportunities at theaters to ensure they are doing what they should be doing to help Hollywood generate revenue.

You will be able to watch free movies, sometimes even attending a movie premiere secretly. There are also different types of checks with Market Force Information:

• Open Checks: You will gather information on the number of people attending showtimes and other bits of data.
• Trailer Checks: You will watch and record all trailers on all screens before assigned features.
• Blind Check: Going undercover, you will count the number of people entering each theatre on a given day.
• Ad Checks: You will watch a sneak preview of upcoming releases to collect demographic information and reactions for the audience.
• Sneak Checks: Watch videos of movie previews for upcoming releases to gauge the viewers’ audience type and reactions.
• Comprehensive Checks: You will not only watch the movie and gather data on the moviegoers but also anything you notice regarding the theater itself.

You can earn $30 a day while watching a brand new movie for free, giving you a better idea of the release date and audience reception.

9. Netflix Movie Tagger

Netflix needs people to tag its thousands of shows and movies on its service to sort it with metadata properly. If you’ve ever seen a comedy inappropriately placed in a drama section on Netflix, then you know its metadata was incorrect, and someone tagged it that way.

It can be lots of fun being a Netflix tagger, as you can get paid to watch Netflix creating high-quality content tags. Not all of their movies and shows are actually entertaining, however, so you could end up feeling like this gig is challenging at times.

The Netflix job board does not widely advertise these positions or make it available for too many people, so knowing your movie and television content, including those in the animation arena, is a must. This is a remote position that almost becomes a regular part-time role, so making sure you spend a lot of time watching movies and shows, some you will hate, just to know its tags, will come into play.

I’ve kept my eye on Netflix’s careers page for this one. It’s super competitive, but it would be such a fun gig for anyone who loves dissecting films.

10. Get Paid to Write Movie Reviews

Getting paid to review movies is pretty much a dream for some people, but it’s not easy to get into. While everyone may feel like they can become the next Roger Ebert if they are given a chance and purchase some digital real estate, it takes more than just a knowledge of movies and the art to become successful.

You need to be a great descriptive writer, get lucky breaks, work your butt off, know the right people, and learn everything you can about the industry. It’s not all it seems to be, but it’s a great gig to have if you can make it in the world.

Whether or not you work for yourself or work for a company, repetition is key.

11. Launch a Movie Review Blog or YouTube Channel

Instead of writing movie reviews for others, maybe you can create a YouTube channel reviewing movies or start a movie review blog. This will be another challenging path towards movie-watching profits in the content creation space, but if you become successful, you can make tons of money.

If you are a fun and entertaining person with love for video editing, then you already have a foundation for your Channel. Then, get creative. What can you do with your ideas?

There’s no limit to your creativity, but ensuring you work hard and don’t get too upset with a lack of initial growth is important to future success in the few years it takes to build an audience.

I’ve seen creators grow from a few dozen followers to landing sponsorships with major studios. It takes time and patience, but if you’re passionate, it’s worth a shot.

FAQs

Is It Really Possible to Make a Full-Time Income Watching Movies?

While most opportunities to get paid to watch movies are best suited as a part-time gig or passive income stream, it’s possible to build it into a full-time job through content creation. Building a successful YouTube channel or movie review blog with a large audience can eventually generate full-time income, but it typically takes a few years of consistent work creating engaging content before reaching that level.

Which Option Pays the Most for Watching Movies?

Of all the options listed, becoming a successful film critic or building your own movie review platform typically offers the highest earning potential. However, these also require the most skill and dedication. For quicker money with less commitment, mystery shopping through companies like Market Force or VeriTES typically pays $20-30 per theater visit plus free movie tickets.

Which Reward Platforms Are Best for Earning Points?

Based on my experience, each platform has different strengths. Swagbucks typically offers the most video content, while InboxDollars often has higher-paying but fewer offers. I’ve had great luck with MyPoints. I’ve redeemed several gift cards over the years by checking emails and watching the occasional video. It’s a sneaky but easy way to save for the holidays.

Do I Need Special Qualifications to Get Paid to Watch Movies?

Most entry-level opportunities like InboxDollars, Swagbucks, or mystery shopping don’t require special qualifications beyond basic observation skills and the ability to complete surveys. However, more professional roles like Netflix tagger or professional film critic typically require excellent writing skills, strong entertainment industry knowledge, and sometimes a degree in film studies or a related field.

Can I Watch Whatever Movies I Want and Get Paid?

Usually not. Most opportunities give you a set list of videos or trailers to watch. However, you can review whatever you want if you start a YouTube channel or blog. Reviewing trending or newly released movies helps get the most views when posting content.

How Much Time Do I Need to Commit to Make Money Watching Movies?

The time commitment varies greatly depending on the opportunity. Survey sites might only require 15-30 minutes of watching short video clips, while mystery shopping an entire movie could take 3+ hours, including writing your report. Building your platform as a movie reviewer is a more substantial commitment, often requiring 10-20 hours per week to create high-quality content consistently.

Are These Movie-Watching Opportunities Available Internationally?

Some are, but it varies. Swagbucks and MyPoints work in multiple countries, but fieldwork like VeriTES or Market Force is usually U.S.-based. I always check the eligibility section before signing up – some platforms quietly limit offers depending on your location.

Get Paid To Watch Movies In Your Spare Time

Getting paid to watch movies in your extra time is almost too good to be true if you are an avid movie watcher. Imagine getting paid to watch the upcoming Marvel movies, The Matrix, or Christopher Nolan throwbacks?

If you’re curious but unsure where to start, I’d recommend testing the easier options first, like InboxDollars or MyPoints. Once you’ve got a rhythm, explore the more active gigs like focus groups or theater mystery shopping.

Anything you’d like is out there for you, and if you spend enough time working in this industry, you may even be able to take it to a full-time job if you have the high-income skills. It’s all up to your hard work, so sign up now and get moving on these opportunities!

If you want to find other unique ways to make money on the side, check out our free money article!