10 Best Ways To Get Paid To Review Movies

If you're a bit of a movie aficionado, you might be looking to turn your passion for movies into a new income stream.

Making money from reviewing movies might sound like the dream side hustle idea for many. But, the great news is there are plenty of ways to get paid to review movies.

So, if you're ready to turn your movie and TV viewing time into a new way to make money online, this is the post for you.

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How To Get Paid To Review Movies

Table of Contents

1. Start A Movie Review Blog

In my opinion, the best way to get paid for movie reviews is to start your own movie review blog.

I'm a bit biased here since blogging is how I make the bulk of my income, but I truly think that a blog is the most versatile way to make money writing reviews.

For example, WebMonkey made $92,000 in 2021, and this income came from numerous income streams. And in 2022, I made $272,000 with WebMonkey:

The two main sources were running Mediavine ads and through affiliate marketing. And these days, the blog makes $500 a day from just Mediavine alone, and this is largely autopilot income. My video above explains exactly how I started my blog and scaled this income source.

Now in terms of making money with a movie review blog, titans like IMDB are obviously dominating the market. However, independent film critics have also found success by writing movie reviews for money.

For example, Leonard Maltin's movie review blog is a perfect example.

On his blog, Maltin writes various movie reviews or cinema-related content. And, he has a Patreon that his readers can subscribe to if they want early-access to content and to unlock some exclusive content as well.

And this is just one example.

Nothing stops you from starting a niche blog that talks about movies but also filmography, or things like creating a perfect home theater where you plug a lot of Amazon affiliate links.

And the best part is that blogging doesn't have to be super expensive. I started WebMonkey with a cheap domain name and simple WordPress hosting. You can find incredibly affordable hosting and domains with a company like SiteGround and pay less than a cup of coffee or two per month.

And you never know where a blog can take you; I've been blogging for four years and it's now my full-time job and makes $10,000 a month or more.

2. Start A Movie Review YouTube Channel

Like blogging, another way to get paid to review movies is to start a movie review YouTube channel.

YouTubers do this all the time for music reviews or movie reviews, and if you gain a following, you can certainly make money on YouTube. I mean, I started my channel in 2020, and these days, it makes around $1,000 per month, and that's mostly passive income!

The thing with YouTube is that you can't show copyrighted content, so reviewing movies usually follows a reaction format or opinion format where you just talk about a movie.

That said, there are plenty of popular movie review channels out there. For example, movie review YouTuber Jeremy Jahns has over 1.8 million subscribers, and pretty much all of his movie review videos get hundreds of thousands of views!

Jahns does straight up movie reviews and also covers things like trailers and TV shows, so you have a lot of options.

And like blogging, YouTube isn't incredibly expensive to start either. For example, here is my budget YouTube setup that I used to grow my own channel to 10,000+ subscribers:

Sony A6000 Camera – $495.
Audio-Technica AT2005 USB Microphone – $80.
Joby GorillaPod Tripod – $15.

Extra Reading – Blog vs YouTube – Which Option Is Best?

3. AnimationArena

If you want to make money as a freelance writer, another way to get paid to write movie reviews is to write for AnimationArena.

This site pays you for writing movie reviews as well as comic book and video game reviews.

You don't need previous experience, and reviews are at least 550 words and are supposed to be casual in style.

AnimationArena pays $15 USD per review and asks for a max of 10 reviews per month.

This is a pretty quick $150 if you write 10 reviews per month. To get started, you just email two writing samples to [email protected] with “Writing for Animation Arena” in the subject line.

4. Start A Medium Blog

If you want to make money with creative writing or start a movie review blog a bit faster, you can always try making money on Medium.

Medium is a free blogging platform where you get paid when premium Medium members read your content.

I've also been blogging on Medium, on and off, for the last few years. At one point, I was making $1,000+ from my Medium work:

There are plenty of categories you can write under on Medium as well. Popular ones include:

Art
Business
Crypto
Politics
Tech

However, you can start your own Medium profile for free and write whatever you feel like. If you build an audience over time, it's definitely possible to turn sites like Medium into a decent income stream on the side as well.

Extra Reading – 7 Ways To Get Paid To Watch Netflix.

5. ScreenRant

Like AnimationArena, you can also get paid for writing movie reviews by writing for ScreenRant.

ScreenRant is looking for writers who can write “in-depth, premium content” about movies, TV shows, news, and gaming. You get an author bio/credit and you get paid. However, ScreenRant doesn't state how much you get paid for writing movie reviews.

You apply by submitting the topic(s) you want to write about and explain what previous writing experience you have as well.

6. Taste Of Cinema

Another way you can make money writing movie reviews is to write for Taste of Cinema.

This movie review site is always looking for contributor writers. And, there are two compensation models you can choose from:

Promotion: Promote your company, author profile, book, or social media accounts in your author bio.
Payment: Get paid for your movie reviews depending on how many clicks your articles get.

Unfortunately, Taste of Cinema doesn't have information on its rates. And honestly, pay-per-click models are usually pretty low in the world of freelance writing.

But if you just want to write movie reviews for money as a fun side hustle, you can always try out Taste of Cinema to see if you like it.

7. Cineaste

According to its website, Cineaste is “America's leading magazine on the art and politics of the cinema.”

This quarterly publication began in 1967, and it's looking for writers who can cover in-depth topics about Hollywood and film.

This includes writing in-depth pieces, interviews, and film reviews. Many of these pieces range from 1,000 to 4,000+ words, and there's a serious editorial team behind the scenes.

Here's how much Cineaste pays for different types of movie and film reviews:

Short Takes: $18.
Book & DVD Reviews: $36.
Film Reviews, Short Articles, & Sidebar Interviews: $45.
Feature Articles & Interviews: $$90.

This is one of the higher-paying movie review gigs, although articles require much more work and the quality standard is higher.

But if you want to write for a movie review magazine, you can definitely apply to Cineaste.

8. Bustle

Bustle is an American women's magazine that began in 2013. These days, it's an absolutely massive publication you're probably familiar with.

And the great news is that Bustle covers movies and entertainment news, and you can pitch freelance writing ideas to the editorial team.

Here's what you include in your article pitch:

A few sentences about your writing background
A sample headline
A 2-3 sentence summary of the article
Sources you know that pertain to the article
Why the story is relevant and a good fit for Bustle
Any plans for photos if you want to include some
Your rate

The fact you can set your freelance writing rate is a perk of writing movie reviews for cash with Bustle.

Granted, you're not guaranteed to get the rate you're asking for, but Bustle is a massive website, so it has the potential to turn into a more regular gig if the team likes your work.

9. Get A Job Reviewing Movies

One of the more straightforward ways to get paid for movie reviews is to get a movie reviewer job.

Searching on remote job sites or regular job boards is a great way to start your job search. For example, if you search for movie review jobs on Indeed, you find scores of different remote and in-person job openings.

Many listings include salary information as well, or how many articles you have to publish. Plus, you can find full- and part-time work, so this is ideal if you're looking for something a bit more serious.

Our post on Netflix tagger jobs also covers some ways you can get started with this kind of editorial role.

Extra Reading – The Best Jobs That Pay $5,000 Per Month.

10. Cracked

Cracked is another massively popular online publication that covers topics like entertainment, TV shows, movies, and music.

Now, Cracked is definitely on the more premium side, so it's not the type of movie review writing job that accepts everyone.

However, you can still apply to write for the site. Cracked pays between $100 to $250 depending on article length and how many pieces you've written.

Cracked is also quite humorous, so take a look at some published pieces to see if your writing style matches up well!

How Much Money Can You Make Writing Movie Reviews?

How much you get paid for your movie reviews depends on several factors, including:

The publications you write for
How often you write
Your previous experience
If you run your own music review blog or YouTube channel

Top movie critics can make six figures, and the most popular movie review blogs or YouTube channels can make millions. However, many movie review writer jobs only pay $10 to $100 per article, with $100 being on the higher side.

Ultimately, it's possible to make decent money in this space, but it's competitive and requires building up your portfolio!

Extra Reading – The Best Free Online Jobs That Pay Daily.

Tips For Getting Started

Now that you know how to get paid for movie reviews, here are some tips you can keep in mind to help turn your hobby into a new income stream:

Set Realistic Expectations: Set an income goal you want to make as a movie reviewer and then work towards that goal over time.
Try Branching Out On Your Own: I think the two methods to get paid for movie reviews with the highest income potential are blogging and YouTube. So, don't be afraid to start your own thing!
Hone Your Craft: As a freelance writer, I can confidently say that writing for money is an endless process of self-improvement. Take pride in your work and find ways to improve your movie reviews while landing better and better clients.

Extra Reading – How To Get Paid For Amazon Reviews.

Final Thoughts

I hope this list of ways to make money from movie reviews helps you turn your film hobby into a new income stream.

Again, there are plenty of options out there, so don't be afraid to dabble with a few ideas on the side as you improve your writing.

This could mean starting a movie review blog with WordPress, your own YouTube channel, or freelance writing. Whatever the case, all of these are fun side hustles that you can use to potentially make money with your cinema hobby.

And who knows; you might be making a full-time income writing Blockbuster movie reviews in the future!

Looking for other ways to make extra money? Checkout:

10 Best Ways To Get Paid To Review Movies