Big movies can cost hundreds of millions to make, and paid streaming apps now fill homes across the globe. At the same time, an underground market keeps growing by offering new films for free. Sites like iBomma, Movierulz, Moviebox, Bollytolly, TodayPK, Netmirror, and 123 Movies are widely known to people who want quick entertainment without paying.
They advertise HD streams and downloads for Telugu hits, Bollywood releases, and Hollywood titles, sometimes within hours of a theater premiere. The easy access comes with big problems: copyright violations, real financial harm to creators, and serious risks for viewers. This report breaks down how these piracy sites work, why people keep using them, what content they post, and what the law looks like in 2025.
How Piracy Sites Became So Popular
Piracy has changed a lot since the early file-sharing days. Many of today’s illegal streaming and torrent sites look polished and feel simple to use. They copy the layout of legal services like Netflix or Amazon Prime, with search bars, genre lists, and mobile-friendly pages.
iBomma became a major name in Telugu movie piracy around 2019. Until recently, it was linked to Immandi Ravi, a Visakhapatnam-based web designer who authorities describe as a key operator. The site reportedly listed more than 21,000 titles and drew millions of monthly users, mainly from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
In November 2025, Hyderabad cybercrime police arrested Ravi. Reports said officials froze assets worth crores and tied him to more than 65 mirror domains. Even so, the shutdown did not last long. Within days, “iBOMMA One” appeared and redirected users toward other active portals.
Movierulz, often seen as one of the longest-running multi-language piracy brands, has survived repeated blocks and takedowns. Even when iBomma and similar sites get blocked, Movierulz keeps posting new releases at a steady pace. It usually carries a larger mix than region-only sites, including pan-India films and dubbed Hollywood titles.
Several other platforms follow the same playbook. TodayPK is known for fast uploads of South Indian and Bollywood movies. Bollytolly targets Bollywood and Tollywood fans, often pushing higher-quality prints when available. Moviebox, including versions like Moviebox.ng or MovieBox Pro apps, built a following by offering pirated OTT content.
Nigerian authorities suspended Moviebox.ng in mid-2025. Netmirror and 123 Movies operate as familiar mirrors of the old 123Movies network, which was shut down in 2018 but returned through many copycat sites that run on ads and constant domain changes.
Most of these operations act like a hydra. When one domain goes down, another pops up. Many hide behind services like Cloudflare and rotate URLs often, using redirects and proxy pages to get around blocks.
What Kind of Movies do They Stream
The big draw is simple: large libraries across languages and time periods, usually labeled as HD, sometimes posted as theater-cam recordings.
iBomma earned attention for Telugu-focused uploads. It carried new titles and older favorites, often with English subtitles and Hindi-dub options. It also expanded into Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, and dubbed Hollywood content.
Movierulz works on a wider scale. It lists Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, and English movies. That includes fresh releases and older Hollywood staples. Many users like it because it covers pan-India releases and dubbed versions in one place.
TodayPK and Bollytolly focus on speed, aiming to post Bollywood and South Indian films soon after release. 123 Movies-style mirrors often lean toward Hollywood, with TV shows added in. Netmirror is commonly used as a backup route when primary domains get blocked.
Moviebox variants often go after premium streaming titles, including content from major OTT services, without a subscription.
In short, these sites sell the same pitch: free access to new theater releases, OTT premieres, dubbed editions, and deep back catalogs.
Why So Many People Still Use Pirated Streaming Sites
Cost and convenience explain most of it. In India, paying for several OTT apps can cost more than ₹1,000 per month, and many households watch on tight budgets. Gaps in legal access add fuel. Some regional titles take time to show up on licensed apps, or they appear with geo-restrictions that lock out viewers abroad.
Speed matters too. Piracy sites often post movies the same day they hit theaters. For rural viewers with limited theaters, or for people overseas who miss films from back home, illegal portals can feel like the easiest path. Online discussions also show a relaxed mindset among some users, where free access feels normal, even when people know it’s not legal.
Outside India, the same pressures show up. Ticket prices stay high in many cities, theaters are not always nearby, and many people feel worn out by too many subscriptions. Some users accept the trade-off of pop-ups and shaky quality just to avoid paying.
The Damage to Films and Filmmakers
Piracy is not a harmless shortcut. The Telugu industry estimated losses at ₹3,700 crore in 2024. Estimates for 2025 were not yet final at the time of reporting, and some expected losses to ease after crackdowns, though confidence stayed cautious.
Every illegal stream or download can reduce income from ticket sales, streaming deals, and other rights. Big releases take a hit, but smaller films often suffer the most. When budgets are low, lost revenue can end a project’s chance to break even. That can push producers to avoid risky stories and back fewer new voices.
The harm spreads beyond producers and actors. Jobs in crews, post-production teams, and theaters can also shrink when revenue drops. In the United States, estimates tie piracy to about $29 billion in annual losses and large job impacts. In India, repeated leaks can slow investment and lead to fewer projects.
High-quality leaks can pull audiences away from theaters, especially for story-driven films, where viewers may not feel a strong need for the big-screen experience. Even effects-heavy movies can lose money overall, even if online chatter sometimes boosts awareness.
The Legal Reality in 2025 and Stronger Enforcement
These platforms break the law. In India, the Copyright Act, 1957 (amended in 2012) treats unauthorized sharing as a criminal offense, with penalties that can include jail time and fines. The IT Act supports enforcement tied to online infringement.
Running piracy sites can lead to raids, arrests, and seized assets. The November 2025 arrest connected to iBomma highlighted that risk, with reported charges tied to copyright and IT laws, along with allegations related to betting promotions.
Users face risks too. Most enforcement focuses on operators, but viewers can still end up exposed through data theft, fraud, or legal trouble in some cases.
Other countries treat pirated streaming as infringement as well. U.S. and EU rules support action against illegal distribution, and cross-border coordination is common when servers and operators move between regions.
India continues to rely on court orders to block domains, while police units work with other agencies to track operators. In 2025, Telangana enforcement efforts increased, and public attention shifted toward larger targets that still post new releases.
Still, the pattern repeats. Sites move servers, switch domains, rely on VPN traffic, and launch new clones when older ones get blocked.
Risks That Go Beyond Copyright
Many piracy sites are packed with aggressive ads and risky pop-ups. Some pages push malware, spyware, or ransomware. Others attempt phishing scams that steal logins and banking details. Betting ads tied to piracy sites have also been linked to financial losses for users.
There’s also a basic fairness issue. Piracy shifts the cost of entertainment onto the people who make it, while viewers and site owners take the benefits.
Where Legal Streaming Fits In
Legal choices are easy to find. Regional services like Aha, Zee5, and Hotstar offer local catalogs, and global apps like Netflix and Prime cover wider libraries. Bundles and discounts have made paid viewing more reachable for many households.
Studios and platforms are responding with faster releases, stronger protections, and public awareness campaigns. Crackdowns like those seen in 2025 can help, but the problem rarely ends after one arrest.
A filmmaker summed up the frustration after the November arrest tied to iBomma: one head gets cut off, and another appears. Piracy only slows when enforcement holds steady and viewers choose licensed options.
By late 2025, the fight is still active. Free streaming may feel easy in the moment, but the real cost shows up in lost income, higher risk, and a weaker future for film.
