It’s Christmas, and that means millions of us will want to binge-watch some movies during the festive break. However, before you start thinking about searching for free access to the latest blockbuster cinema releases, be alert. Experts are warning Brits to avoid streaming the latest films such as Gladiator 2, Moana 2 and Wicked as attempting to watch these Hollywood hits could leave homes with “more than they bargained for.”

This new alert has been issued by the team at NordVPN who say cyber crooks are trying to cash in on people attempting to view films without heading to their local cinema and paying.

Although free streams may look tempting, many come laced with malware or contain malicious links that can try and steal personal data, including bank details, email and home address.

Of all the latest release, searches for Gladiator II appear be the riskiest with NordVPN saying that this film has a rating of 1.9 warnings per online link. These attacks include phishing warnings, malware and suspicious content.

‘Glicked’ rival Wicked had the second-most red flags, with 1.6 warnings per link. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s festive film Red One was in third place, this was followed by Disney hit Moana 2.

Speaking about the new stats, Adrianus Warmenhoven, a cybersecurity advisor at NordVPN, said: “There’s nothing more Christmassy than enjoying the latest festive movie, but be warned if you’re planning to be a Grinch to save money.

“Movie fans need to think twice before searching online, as many of the links contain phishing and malware software and you may end up getting more than you bargained for.

“If nothing else, trying to watch films this way is like searching for a needle in a haystack, with hardly any of the links providing a watchable movie.

“Always be careful when clicking on a link, even on a trustworthy website, and use anti-malware tools like Threat Protection Pro.”

If you want to stay safe this Christmas, you’re best sticking to official ways of watching movies. That means heading to the cinema to view the very latest films or signing up for services such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ or Sky Cinema.