Roku doesn’t need you to overlook about it in your streaming wants, so it’s been engaged on sweetening the deal. The firm has announced that it lately closed a multi-year settlement with Lionsgate. If you could have a Roku TV or set-top field, fill up on popcorn and snacks, as a result of the flicks are coming to you.

Later this 12 months, Roku will provide free streaming motion pictures from Lionsgate, together with the upcoming Nicolas Cage flick, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Other titles embody John Wick: Chapter 4, The Expendables 4, Borderlands, and Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

This is the corporate’s first theatrical output deal, although it’s not the primary for the trade. Other streaming providers have adopted this mannequin over the previous few years, particularly throughout the peak of the pandemic, when film theaters have been shuttered.

The Lionsgate motion pictures gained’t come to Roku proper as they debut, the best way that Dune premiered on HBO Max to paid subscribers the identical day as in theaters. Since Lionsgate owns Starz, it’ll first provide entry to motion pictures about 18 months after the theatrical run earlier than debuting to Roku customers without cost. So, possibly don’t begin popping that popcorn simply but.

The concept behind providing these motion pictures is to assist morph Roku right into a bonafide content material platform somewhat than limiting it as a tool for different streaming providers. Roku has a lot extra competitors now than it did 5 years in the past. Now it has to compete with Apple TV and its authentic, Oscar-winning content material choices and Google TV and its subscription-based service, YouTube TV, which Roku needed to combat to maintain on its platform.

Lionsgate has additionally needed to make some adjustments after shifting its content material from Hulu and HBO to its Starz app. Axios reported that the studio has been trying to promote or spin Starz off in some method, possible to assist revive the model.

Roku has been busy increasing its enterprise to stay a worthy competitor towards the present crop of streaming providers and units. It landed an ad-targeting partnership late final 12 months with Nielsen scores to assist improve its income streams. It additionally lately added a Live TV Zone to assist people higher uncover what’s on with out tapping and deciding on between particular person apps, and it’s pushed via a complete new software program replace with extra user-friendly options.

The promise of free, blockbuster-level motion pictures is likely to be precisely what Roku wants, because it has seen progress with its ad-supported Roku Channel streaming service that provides different free content material. The Roku Channel can be the place the Lionsgate motion pictures will hit Roku once they’re obtainable. According to particulars in an investor call, the Roku Channel at the moment reaches about 80 million individuals as of the fourth quarter of final 12 months.