How often does it refresh?

The pipeline polls for new records every few minutes.

Yes — free, no download, in your browser.

Will these films be showing at my local cinema?

Not necessarily. The list is built from TMDB release data and can be narrowed by region, but actual availability depends on local distributors and cinema programming.

Where do the ratings come from?

They are averages of votes cast by TMDB users, not critics, so they reflect that community's taste and can rest on few votes for new films.

How is this different from the TMDB Trending saver?

Now playing is built from theatrical release data and dates, while trending is a separate TMDB list that is not tied to whether a title is in cinemas.

TMDB Now Playing Screensaver

The TMDB Now Playing screensaver streams real movies now playing in theaters as they're reported. It is free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the TMDB Now Playing screensaver works

The background pipeline polls TMDB (The Movie Database) — TMDB's free-key public API — every few minutes for new records.

Each new item eases up into its slot at the bottom of the list as it arrives.

A header shows a live/connecting indicator and the last update time.

No key is required for this key-less public endpoint.

How TMDB decides what is now playing

The Movie Database, usually shortened to TMDB, is a community-edited film and television database. Its public API is widely used by apps that need movie metadata, from home media servers to watchlist trackers. This screensaver draws on TMDB's now-playing list.

TMDB's documentation describes the now-playing endpoint as a list of movies currently in theatres, and says it is really a discover query behind the scenes, filtered by theatrical release types and a range of release dates. The response includes the minimum and maximum dates of that window. The endpoint also accepts an optional region code, so the set of films can differ by country and will not match the screens at your local multiplex exactly.

Each result carries fields such as a release date, an original language, a vote average and a vote count. The ratings come from TMDB's own users, so for brand-new releases they may rest on few votes. The list is a catalogue snapshot built from release data, so it is a good prompt for what to look up, but not a showtime finder.

A worked example

A real recent item scrolls into view with its details, then eases upward as newer ones arrive behind it.

Settings & tips

Each movie shows its real release date, rating and vote count.
Accent recolours the header and highlights.
TMDB is a large, community-built movie and TV database.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real data?: Yes — it's read live from TMDB (The Movie Database), TMDB's free-key public API.
Is a key needed?: No. This is a fully key-less public API.
How often does it refresh?: The pipeline polls for new records every few minutes.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
Will these films be showing at my local cinema?: Not necessarily. The list is built from TMDB release data and can be narrowed by region, but actual availability depends on local distributors and cinema programming.
Where do the ratings come from?: They are averages of votes cast by TMDB users, not critics, so they reflect that community's taste and can rest on few votes for new films.
How is this different from the TMDB Trending saver?: Now playing is built from theatrical release data and dates, while trending is a separate TMDB list that is not tied to whether a title is in cinemas.

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