Apple TV Plus might finally get the change we've been waiting for — licensed Hollywood movies

Killers of the Flower Moon promo image with Leonardo di Caprio
(Image credit: Apple)

A new report says that Apple is in talks with major Hollywood studios over the prospect of licensing existing movies to Apple TV Plus in order to boost the company's big-screen offerings. 

Apple has enjoyed riotous success with TV shows like Ted Lasso, Severance, Slow Horses, Silo, The Morning Show, and more, and recently scored 72 Emmy nominations. However, Apple's movie offering doesn't boast the same popular sway. While it has scooped an Oscar with CODA and vast acclaim with Killers of the Flower Moon, there have been a few misses too, notably Napoleon and the beleaguered Argylle. 

To that end, a new report says that Apple could be about to bring existing titles to the services, building on a successful experiment from earlier this year. 

More movies coming to Apple TV Plus

Bloomberg reports that Apple "is having discussions about licensing more films from major Hollywood studios as it looks to bolster its Apple TV+ streaming service." Apple has reportedly spoken to "several of the largest studios about acquiring more programming from their libraries to offer customers both in the US and abroad." 

Apple has clung onto an almost exclusively original offering since it launched Apple TV Plus, but has dabbled with movies from other Hollywood studios. It licensed titles including The Godfather, Dunkirk, and more for a limited time earlier this year

According to Bloomberg, "That experiment went well enough that Apple has gone back to many studios for more, either to license those titles internationally or to add more." 

It could mean more popular movie titles on Apple TV Plus, including offerings for subscribers outside the U.S. According to the report, it's a move "Hollywood studios have been waiting for," with studios seeking licensing agreements in order to boost revenue in the face of subscriber slowdowns. 

If it plays out, we could see more popular big-screen titles make their way to Apple TV Plus, although there's no word on a time frame, or any further specifics of the deal at this stage. 

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Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9