Let us be honest this is not the first time you’ve heard of this site where you can watch free movies online 123movies. This site has been on the web for around 2/3 years before being taken down.
But still, as of 26th May 2022, people stream the latest movies online for free through clone sites.
So, how did a website, once receiving millions of traffic, vanish?
123movies origin and ending?
The website was launched around 2015/16 and was reported to operate from Vietnam, with the primary source of revenue coming from Advertising.
According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), “124movies was the most popular illegal site in the world”. An estimated 98 million visitors per month are eager to watch free movies online on this website.
It was finally shut down in March 2018 after the Vietnamese authorities’ criminal investigation was going on.
And on 19 March 2018, the site’s homepage received a notice for all its visitors regarding shutting down and requesting people to watch the movie legally.
Even though the site was taken down years ago, this mirror still exists year after. The clone of the website is still running wild and free.
Is watching free movies online from 123movies legal?
Before answering this, let us know how these sites impact the movies and the team that produced them. Without any doubt, they are affected one way or another.
Sites like this are quick to copy or pirate the latest movies and release them on their website in the first week or even before the initial release.
These sites are entirely charge-free, generate revenue through ads, and do not charge viewers for subscriptions.
This will impact their earning potential as potential viewers watch the movie from the internet without paying a single dime to the content creators.
Even countries like Nepal have vast numbers of viewers on these illegal sites.
So, Is it illegal to watch free movies online?
According to information from different sources, it seems illegal to stream movies from 123movies as the site is showing content without paying rights.
The site owner is violating the Copyright Act by distributing Unlicensed content.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I get in trouble for Streaming 123movies?
To date, there seems to be no record of someone being jailed for streaming movies from any illegal site.
We strongly recommend staying away from these sites.Is 123movies illegal?
Even though the original site is now offline still, the clones still exist. And without any doubt, it is very illegal to share copyright content.
123movies is illegal and banned in the United States and many other countries.
Who owned this site?
Very little information is on the web regarding the owner or creator of 123 movies.
All we know is that the editors were from Vietnam.Is there an alternative?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of online sites where you can stream pirated movies.
