diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index fc5237e..46c5dc5 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.8.6-sql-fix
+2.8.7-imdb-path-extraction
diff --git a/core/database_populator.py b/core/database_populator.py
index 4ccad35..11304b5 100644
--- a/core/database_populator.py
+++ b/core/database_populator.py
@@ -7,11 +7,13 @@ Phase 4: Replace NFO-based initial population with direct DB/API queries
 import time
 from typing import Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 from datetime import datetime
+from pathlib import Path
 
 from core.database import NFOGuardDatabase
 from clients.radarr_client import RadarrClient
 from clients.sonarr_client import SonarrClient
 from utils.logging import _log
+from utils.imdb_utils import parse_imdb_from_path
 
 
 class DatabasePopulator:
@@ -66,9 +68,20 @@ class DatabasePopulator:
             # Process each movie
             for movie in movies:
                 try:
+                    # Get movie path first (we'll need it for IMDb extraction)
+                    path = movie.get('path', '')
+
+                    # Try to get IMDb ID from Radarr database
                     imdb_id = movie.get('imdbId')
+
+                    # If not in database, try extracting from directory/filename
+                    if not imdb_id and path:
+                        imdb_id = parse_imdb_from_path(Path(path))
+                        if imdb_id:
+                            _log("DEBUG", f"Extracted IMDb ID {imdb_id} from path for: {movie.get('title')}")
+
                     if not imdb_id:
-                        _log("DEBUG", f"Skipping movie without IMDb ID: {movie.get('title')}")
+                        _log("DEBUG", f"Skipping movie without IMDb ID: {movie.get('title')} (path: {path})")
                         stats['skipped'] += 1
                         continue
 
@@ -79,9 +92,6 @@ class DatabasePopulator:
                         stats['skipped'] += 1
                         continue
 
-                    # Get movie path
-                    path = movie.get('path', '')
-
                     # Get release date
                     released = None
                     if movie.get('digitalRelease'):
diff --git a/nfoguard-web/main_web.py b/nfoguard-web/main_web.py
index 02af1fc..451e0d2 100644
--- a/nfoguard-web/main_web.py
+++ b/nfoguard-web/main_web.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ def create_web_app() -> FastAPI:
     app = FastAPI(
         title="NFOGuard Web Interface",
         description="Web interface for NFOGuard media database management",
-        version="2.8.6-sql-fix",
+        version="2.8.7-imdb-path-extraction",
         docs_url="/docs" if web_config.web_debug else None,
         redoc_url="/redoc" if web_config.web_debug else None
     )
diff --git a/start_web.py b/start_web.py
index 47ff620..4bcac15 100644
--- a/start_web.py
+++ b/start_web.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ def create_web_app() -> FastAPI:
     app = FastAPI(
         title="NFOGuard Web Interface",
         description="Web interface for NFOGuard media database management",
-        version="2.8.6-sql-fix",
+        version="2.8.7-imdb-path-extraction",
         docs_url=None,  # Disable docs in production
         redoc_url=None
     )
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ def setup_static_files(app: FastAPI) -> None:
                 "status": "healthy",
                 "service": "nfoguard-web",
                 "timestamp": time.time(),
-                "version": "2.8.6-sql-fix"
+                "version": "2.8.7-imdb-path-extraction"
             }
         except Exception as e:
             from fastapi import HTTPException