How to run Popcorn Time on Ubuntu/Mint linux

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By rasho

Popcorn Time is a free, open-source Netflix-style torrent streaming application that uses BitTorent for streaming movies. It has a nice interface to browse movies, documentaries etc… While playing the app torrents the movie, starts playing it immediately, and streams it while the download finishes in the background.
Popcorn Time stated as a github project and now has over 50 contributors. It recently got lot of media attention. The application allows users to stream movies (with subtitles) at no cost, making it illegal in most countries and because of that, the Popcorn Time downloads were removed, at least for now.
Popcorn Time is open source and its code is available on GitHub.

What’s New in Popcorn Time

  • Fixes a bug that wouldn’t allow for changing the quality.
  • Cleaned-up subtitle encoding detection code
  • Updated it.json, some words fixed
  • Updated pt-br.json
  • Updated nl.json
  • Added and fixed various translations and subtitles:
    • Fixed Hungarian translations
    • Added Croatian translation
    • Added Hebrew subtitle support
    • Added Polish subtitle support
    • Added Danish subtitle support
    • Added Czech subtitle support
    • Added Italian subtitle support
    • Added Estonian subtitles support
    • Added Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian subtitle support
    • Updated Dutch language file
    • Updated Dutch translation file

How to run Popcorn in Ubuntu and Mint linux

[su_box title=”Warning!” box_color=”#ff0000″ title_color=”#0f0e0e”]Important notice: Popcorn Time streams movies from torrents and that may be illegal in your country. Use it at your own risk! The application uses the YIFY movie torrents API and will not work if that’s blocked in your country.[/su_box]
First, download Popcorn Time archive:

Download Popcorn time 32 Bit:
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[su_button url=”https://get.popcorntime.sh/build/Popcorn-Time-0.3.9-Linux-32.tar.xz” target=”blank” background=”#e74c3c” wide=”yes” center=”yes”]Popcorn Time 32 bit Download[/su_button]

Download Popcorn Time 64 bit:

[su_button url=”https://get.popcorntime.sh/build/Popcorn-Time-0.3.9-Linux-64.tar.xz” target=”blank” background=”#e74c3c” wide=”yes” center=”yes”]Popcorn Time 64 bit Download[/su_button]
Extract archive file:

Extract Popcorn Time achive
Extract Popcorn Time achive

Open Popcorn Time derectory and duble click on Popcorn-Time file:

Start Popcorn Time application
Start Popcorn Time application

Now, see Popcorn Time first run screen

Popcorn Time first run screen
Popcorn Time first run screen
Popcorn Time screen
Popcorn Time screen
Popcorn Time movie descripction screen
Popcorn Time movie descripction screen

If you see Error missing libudev.so.0 enter following command in terminal:

$ sudo ln -s /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libudev.so.1 /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libudev.so.0

19 thoughts on “How to run Popcorn Time on Ubuntu/Mint linux”

  1. Linux Mint 16 – have extracted all files as directed but once I click the gear icon, nothing happens. Plz advise.

    Reply
  2. On older versions (or 32 bit platforms) you might need to check the name of the folder to use, for instance:

    sudo ln -s /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libudev.so.0 /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libudev.so.1

    Reply
  3. I could help you okay. Where you want to go is to this program download Popcorn time. http://popcorntime.io/
    Go always down where show the Linux one okay click 1
    you have okay so if you using 32 bit click on the 32bit if you using
    64bit click on 64 bit okay. Where says Extract here do that and hit
    installed okay. I hope this helps you okay.

    Reply
  4. For version 5.3.1, the libudev work around does not work. It causes Popcorn-Time to load a black screen and just hang.

    Reply
  5. Im using linux mint 17.1 and followed the instructions as above but it is not exactly clear on where you are extracting it to in the gui version of the instructions? is that just /home or /home/username I did it at /home/username and also when that didnt work at /home and then tried the command sudo ln -s /lib/i386-linux-gnu/libudev.so.1 …
    and it just produced a broken symlink?
    even went so far as to open the popcorn time executable properties and then scrolled to permissions to make all users read and write to see if that would get a response? nothing zip zilch???? as per usual the smaller distros have been forgotte in terms of support, thanks once again for forgetting us! I would have thought Linux mint would have had support????!!!! help if you can would be very much appreciated thanks in advance 😉

    Reply
  6. Download Popcorn time: http://popcorntime.io/

    Sla op in bijvoorbeeld je downloadsmap in linux (meestal te vinden onder de hoofdmap: Home)

    Dubbelklik op die gedownloade file.
    Een venster opent zich waar je de file mee kunt uitpakken.
    Die wil het uitpakken in de map Downloads…maar ik raad aan om met de daarvoor bestemde knop in dat geopende venster eerst een map aan te maken…bijvoorbeeld PopcornTime Linux.
    Pak dan uit (=extract). In die net door jou gemaakte map vind je de (grijze) file: Popcorn-Time. Dubbelklik daarop en PopcornTime start op. (Je kunt voor het gemak een snelkoppeling op je bureaublad plaatsen).

    Veel kijkplezier

    GreetingzzzZZZzzz van een linux-leek (en fan!)

    Reply
  7. I have linux mint 17.2.. and gor Black screen when start Beta 3.2 version.

    The same Black screen I got when start Windows Beta 5.4 through Wine.

    Please help.

    Reply
  8. Lol ok I just get spam when I double clicked the popcorn time file. Went to time4popcorn.eu 🙁

    tried all the solutions posted here, that was the furthest I got. Just installed Ubuntu 14.04 64 bit. Anyone have any other ideas?

    Reply
  9. After installing it PopCorn Time on my windows, I was looking for how to do it in Linux.

    Came across this wonderful Linux Tutorial site. Thank you for the detailed steps.

    Reply

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