Sony is today launching its movie rental app on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 in 23 countries, with movies in up to 4K, HDR, Dolby Atmos and IMAX Enhanced.

Bravia Core, which is currently available exclusively on newer Sony Google TVs, is being rebranded to Sony Pictures Core and launching on PlayStation consoles.

- "You may be familiar with the Bravia Core app, which is a great way to access a wide range of recent and classic films from Sony Pictures on Bravia TVs and select Xperia devices. Bravia Core will be rebranded to Sony Pictures Core on these devices next year, and starting today, we’re launching the Sony Pictures Core app on PS5 and PS4 consoles," announced Evan Stern, Sr Director of Global Marketing, PlayStation.


Up to 2000 movies, PS Plus benefits
In select regions the Sony Pictures Core app lets you rent or buy up to 2000 movies mainly from Sony Pictures including titles such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Uncharted, The Equalizer, No Hard Feelings, Bullet Train, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

However, we should remind you that Sony has previously sold movies on PlayStation consoles through the PlayStation Store, which it no longer does. When the service closed, some of the customers' purchased movies were removed without refunds.

New theatrical movies from Sony Pictures will also be available through the Sony Pictures Core app on PS5 and PS4 exclusively as part of an early access window in the U.K., France, Germany, and Japan. The first film is Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story. The movie is already available from the app in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.


 The Sony Pictures Core app. Photo: Sony

The app is available now on consoles in 23 countries from PlayStation's Media section. A full list was not provided.

Sony Pictures Core has the largest selection of movies in IMAX Enhanced format, according to Sony, and also offers movies in 4K, HDR and Dolby Atmos sound on PlayStation 5 (not PlayStation 4).

 Also read: Why you shouldn't use PlayStation or Xbox for video streaming

PlayStation Plus Premium and Deluxe members get access to a curated catalog of up to 100 movies from Sony Pictures through the Sony Pictures Core app as part of their PS Plus membership. Movies are rotated periodically. Additional benefits will come later, said Sony.


80 Mbps video bitrate?
Bravia Core, which is now being rebranded to Sony Pictures Core, was launched in April 2021 on Sony Google TVs with the "near lossless UHD BD equivalent quality with streaming up to 80 Mbps".

However, it is unclear if 80 Mbps bitrate is also be available on PlayStation consoles. There is no mention of it in any of Sony's support documents at this time, and the press release makes no mention of it either. FlatpanelsHD is chasing more details.

- "This is just the beginning, and we plan to evolve the offerings and benefits of Sony Pictures Core over time – including a selection of hit anime content from Crunchyroll. We’re looking forward to more exciting things to come, so stay tuned," said Evan Stern, Sr Director of Global Marketing, PlayStation.