Mubi

Who owns Mubi?
Mubi is a privately held company owned by its founder and CEO Efe Cakarel and private investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and an LVMH-backed investment fund. The company has raised over $200 million in total funding, including a $100 million Series C round in 2025. Mubi is not publicly traded on any stock exchange.

How many subscribers does Mubi have?
Mubi has more than 16 million subscribers globally as of 2025, up from 12 million in 2024. The platform is available in more than 190 countries. Mubi offers a curated selection of films that rotate on a regular basis, along with a library of previously featured films.

What is Mubi Notebook?
Mubi Notebook is Mubi's film criticism and cultural publication, one of the most respected film criticism platforms online. It features essays, interviews with filmmakers, and critical analysis of films from around the world. Mubi Notebook is freely available on the Mubi website and does not require a subscription.

What films has Mubi distributed?
Mubi has distributed numerous acclaimed independent films, including Past Lives (2023, nominated for Academy Award for Best Picture), The Substance (2024, which grossed over $77 million worldwide), and films by directors including Pedro Almodovar, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hong Sangsoo, and Luca Guadagnino. Mubi co-produced Past Lives with A24.

When was Mubi founded?
Mubi was founded in 2007 by Efe Cakarel in London, United Kingdom. The platform initially launched under the name The Auteurs before rebranding as Mubi in 2010. Cakarel, who studied at MIT and INSEAD, was inspired to create the platform after being unable to find a film he wanted to watch while traveling.

What is Mubi Go?
Mubi Go is a benefit for Mubi subscribers in the United Kingdom that provides a free cinema ticket each week at participating cinemas. The benefit is designed to encourage subscribers to experience cinema in theaters as well as on the Mubi platform. Mubi Go is available at no additional cost to UK subscribers.

How does Mubi differ from Netflix?
Mubi differs from Netflix in its curatorial approach to content. While Netflix offers thousands of titles across all genres, Mubi offers a carefully curated selection of art-house, independent, and classic cinema that rotates on a regular basis. Mubi also operates a film distribution and production business, releasing films in theaters before they are available on the platform. Mubi's focus on quality over quantity and its film criticism ecosystem (Mubi Notebook, Mubi Podcast) differentiate it from mainstream streaming services.

Mubi was founded in 2007 by Efe Cakarel in London. The platform initially launched under the name The Auteurs, reflecting its focus on director-driven cinema. The service offered a rotating selection of films, with each film available for a limited period (typically 30 days), creating a sense of urgency and discovery that differentiated it from services with permanent catalogs.

In 2010, the company rebranded as Mubi, a name chosen to be short, memorable, and globally recognizable. The rebranding coincided with the platform's expansion into new markets and the launch of Mubi Notebook, a film criticism publication that established Mubi as a cultural authority on cinema.

Mubi expanded into film distribution in the early 2010s, acquiring theatrical and streaming rights for independent films and releasing them in cinemas and on the platform. This vertical integration allowed Mubi to offer exclusive content that could not be found on other streaming services. The company established partnerships with film festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance, acquiring rights to festival films and building relationships with filmmakers.

In 2021, Mubi raised $95 million in a funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of Silicon Valley's most prominent venture capital firms. The investment valued Mubi at approximately $1 billion, making it a unicorn. The funding was used to expand Mubi's film distribution and production activities.

Mubi's most significant achievement in film distribution came with Past Lives (2023), a romantic drama written and directed by Celine Song. Mubi co-produced and distributed the film, which received widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film grossed approximately $23 million worldwide on a modest budget, demonstrating Mubi's ability to identify and champion exceptional independent films.

In 2024, Mubi distributed The Substance, a body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. The film grossed over $77 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful films in Mubi's distribution history. The film received critical acclaim and was nominated for multiple Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Demi Moore.

In 2025, Mubi raised $100 million in Series C funding, bringing total funding to over $200 million. The round included participation from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and new investors including an LLMH-backed investment fund. The funding was intended to expand Mubi's film distribution, production, and technology capabilities, including investments in its streaming platform and content library.

Other notable Mubi distributions include films by directors including Pedro Almodovar, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Hong Sangsoo, Luca Guadagnino, and other internationally acclaimed filmmakers. Mubi has also expanded its podcast and editorial operations, with Mubi Podcast and Mubi Notebook providing film criticism and cultural commentary.

As a private company in the film streaming and distribution sector, Mubi's sustainability initiatives are not publicly documented in detail. The company does not publish a standalone sustainability report or ESG disclosure.

Mubi's primary social impact is through its support of independent cinema and filmmakers. By distributing and co-producing independent films, Mubi provides a platform for diverse voices and perspectives that may not find distribution through mainstream studios. The company's curatorial approach champions films from around the world, including films from underrepresented regions and filmmakers.

Mubi is not a Certified B Corporation. The company's environmental footprint is relatively small compared to manufacturing or extractive industries, primarily consisting of energy use from streaming infrastructure and office operations. Mubi uses cloud-based streaming infrastructure, which shares data center energy consumption with other companies using the same cloud providers.

On content ethics, Mubi's curatorial approach means that the company makes deliberate editorial decisions about which films to include on its platform. The company has been criticized by some for the subjective nature of its curation, but this approach is fundamental to Mubi's brand identity and value proposition.

Mubi has faced relatively limited controversy compared to larger streaming platforms:

Streaming Market Competition: Mubi operates in a highly competitive streaming market dominated by well-funded companies including Netflix, Amazon, Apple, and Disney. Industry observers have questioned whether Mubi's niche focus can sustain long-term profitability, though the company's $100 million Series C funding round in 2025 has addressed some of these concerns.

Rotating Catalog Model: Mubi's curatorial approach, which involves removing films from the platform after a limited period, has been criticized by some subscribers who prefer permanent access to films. The company has partially addressed this by introducing the Mubi Library, which makes a selection of previously featured films available on an ongoing basis.

Content Licensing Disputes: As a film distributor and streaming platform, Mubi has been involved in occasional licensing disputes with filmmakers, production companies, and other distributors over territorial rights and exclusivity arrangements. These disputes are common in the film distribution industry and have not resulted in significant public controversy.

Path to Profitability: As a private company that has raised over $200 million in venture capital, Mubi faces pressure to demonstrate a path to profitability. The company's revenue is not publicly disclosed, and its profitability status is unknown. The high costs of content acquisition, subscriber acquisition, and global operations present challenges for any streaming company, particularly one focused on a niche market.