'The Two Popes,' 'Bird Box,' And Other Netflix Originals Will Be Free To Watch Without A Subscription

Netflix is making several of its original TV shows and movies — including the Oscar-nominated film The Two Popes, the horror sensation Bird Box, and the first episode of its monster hit Stranger Things — free to watch without a subscription. These titles, as well as seven others, will be available to watch for free globally.

A new report from Gadgets360 revealed that Netflix is making a number of its original TV shows and movies free to watch without a subscription, around the globe. Hits like Stranger Things (the first episode, at least), Bird Box, and the Adam Sandler comedy Murder Mystery are being made available to non-subscribers, as part of a new Netflix strategy to attract new subscribers. Netflix confirmed the promotion in a statement given to Gadgets360.

"We're looking at different marketing promotions to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience," a spokesperson said. The films will be available to watch in their entirety, but only the first episodes will be available to watch for TV shows, per the spokesperson.

Here is a list of the TV shows and films available to watch for free:

It seems like everyone and their mother has a Netflix subscription, so why does this streaming giant feel the need to expand their outreach even further? The freeing up of several of these Netflix originals comes amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and a string of new streaming services vying to compete with the streaming giant. It would be nice to think that Netflix is doing this charitably by making more of its content available to people who can't afford a subscription amid the pandemic, but that might be too generous. With the streaming field more crowded than ever, it seems like Netflix is upping its game to bring in new subscribers.

It's not a completely new strategy. Netflix has given some of its content away for free before, making the hit teen rom-com To All the Boys I've Loved Before available for free to U.S. residents earlier this year and making of its documentaries available for free on YouTube.

The free Netflix originals can be found here. A support page for the free titles notes that the content is available to watch through web browsers on computers or Android devices, but that iOS browsers are not supported.