It has been almost a year and a half since the pandemic took over. The outbreak of the COVID-19 led to people being forced to stay indoors. But this paved the way for people to have virtual meetings and keep in touch without leaving the house. However, one of the significant drawbacks of the pandemic was that theatres had to be shut entirely. As a result, movie shoots were abandoned, and several movies due for release were postponed indefinitely.
As a result, people started moving towards OTT platforms to stay updated on the latest movies and TV shows. Unfortunately, though the hard part of the pandemic seems to be nearing an end, people are still reluctant to give up their social distancing habits.
But just because the theatres are shut doesn't mean you can't enjoy your favorite films with your friends and loved ones. Thanks to multiple virtual applications, you can now form a watch party and stream a movie for everyone to enjoy.
This is a great way to enjoy movies with your friends online without having to leave your house whatsoever. In this article, we will discuss the different applications using which you can watch movies with friends online.
7 Best Ways to Watch Movies with Friends Online
As we mentioned earlier, just because the theatres are closed doesn't necessarily mean you have to miss out on the fun of catching up on a movie with your friends. Thanks to OTT platforms and other similar applications, you can now stream a movie to watch online with your friends and loved ones.
1. Teleparty (Netflix Party)
Netflix is one of the fastest-growing OTT platforms worldwide. Formerly known as Netflix Party, Teleparty is one such application that lets you watch TV with your friends online. With over ten million users, Teleparty allows you to sync video playback and has a group chat feature for Netflix, Disney, HULU, and various other applications.
Using Teleparty, everyone can join in from their accounts and watch a movie or TV show with their friends and loved ones. This is a free extension to the Chrome browser that lets you freely watch TV with anyone you want. Add the extension to your Chrome browser using this link.
2. Hulu Watch Party
Like Netflix, Amazon, and other OTTs, Hulu has added a lot of exciting content to its website over the past year. Also, you can now create a Hulu Watch Party using your respective account address and get together with your friends to stream a movie or TV show online.
You can have up to 8 people in a single Hulu Watch Party. Like Teleparty, the Hulu watch party lets you start and stop video playbacks so that everyone is on board. In addition, there is a chat bar in the right corner.
To use Hulu Watch Party,
- Visit Hulu.com and navigate to the details page of the movie or show you'd like to watch.
- Select the Watch Party icon and Click Start the Party
3. Discord Screen Share
If you think Discord is only made for gaming, then think again. The Discord Screen Share feature lets you get over 50 people in one room when streaming a room, giving you a whole cinematic experience.
When in the room, you get playback options, and everyone in the room can stop or start at any point. Also, every participant in the room can adjust the volume as per their convenience.
To enable the Discord Screen Share, first, you need to set up Voice & Video and then Add friends to your call list to start a Video Call. Lastly, swap the Video call with Screen Share. If you are new to Discord, then you can refer Devsjournal for a step-by-step guide on this.
4. Amazon Watch Party
Considered as Netflix's fierce rival, Amazon Prime has a ton of great content for people of all ages. The library is updated constantly, and all you need is a subscription to watch any movie or TV show of your choice.
With the Amazon Watch Party, you can live-stream any movie or TV show with over 100 of your friends and loved ones. There are no extra charges to access an Amazon Watch party. This feature is available exclusively to desktop browsers and Amazon Fire TV stick users.
All you need is an Amazon Prime membership to organize a watch party and get together with your friends online. All the members in your respective watch party will need to log in using their individual Amazon Prime Accounts.
5. Disney Plus Group Watch
Just like the rest of the apps mentioned here, Disney Plus also has a group watch feature that lets you organize a watch party and stream any movie of your choice.
The app plays the same movie on multiple screens and ensures that the videos of every participant are synced. So, you can invite your families and friends who have a Disney Plus subscription and get together over an excellent movie or TV show. It also has the playback feature, and the Group Watch feature is fully compatible with iOS, Android, Smart TVs, etc.
Like Amazon Watch Party, there will be an icon for Group Watch on Disney Plus.
6. Facebook Watch Together
With this newly added feature, Facebook is now more than just a social networking application. The Watch Together lets you enjoy Facebook Watch videos with your families and friends and get their reactions in real-time over Messenger video calls and Messenger Rooms.
Not just movies and TV shows, but Facebook Group Watch is also good for artists, DJs, chefs, personal trainers, and other people who like to stream their work live with others. To use Watch Together, start a Messenger video call or create a Messenger Room with your friends, then swipe up to access the menu and select Watch Together. From here, you can select choose from categories such as "TV & Movies," "Watched," or "Uploaded."
7. Rave
Rave is a third-party application that lets you stream anything from a movie on Netflix to the most popular video on YouTube. Here, you can create a watch party for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, and more.
You can even store your favorite movies or video clips on Google Drive to watch later. Meanwhile, this app lets you sync your phone with people at your watch party and create an Instant Speaker System.
Download Rave for Android & iOS
On the offset of the COVID-19 pandemic, theatres and cinema halls remain close across multiple places around the globe. But this shouldn't stop you from catching up on your favorite movies with your friends and family.
Mentioned above are some applications that allow you to create a Watch Party that involves your chosen ones and then enjoy a movie or TV show together. While social distancing and even isolation can sound pretty lonely, hopefully, with these sites, loneliness will be the last thing on your mind during these trying times.
