Piracy hurts the industry. The "excuse" I've seen for some in watching pirated movies is they feel they're entitled to seeing it for free. They don't feel they should have to pay ten bucks to be entertained. It's not cheap to make a movie like Iron Man 2. The movie had a budget of $200 million. You also have to think about the costs in promoting and advertising the movie. Yes the movie has made a reported $100 million in ticket sales already but I don't think that justifies what comes down to simply stealing.
Now I'm sure that some that watch a pirated version early will say that they will still buy a ticket and see it in movie theaters. This is the part I don't understand. For a movie as special effects driven as Iron Man, I just couldn't see watching an inferior version of the movie. I don't want to see a shaky camcorder version of any movie. Even if a really good copy was made available, these movies should be seen and enjoyed on the big screen.
I mentioned that piracy hurts the industry. Another excuse is Hollywood makes millions off the movies and don't deserve the individual's hard earned money. Let's shift our focus to some recently released animated movies. There's been grumblings over the fact that Warner Bros. canceled the animated Green Lantern and Wonder Woman sequels. Why were they canceled? They were canceled because of 'underperformance.' In other words, as great as those movies were, not enough people actually paid to watch them. If a movie doesn't make enough of a profit, there's no reason a studio will want to continue to make them. While some viewers may have enjoyed a 'free movie' by watching bootlegged copies or even watching on sites like youtube, now the chances of seeing more have been taken away.
I think another part of watching pirated movies is being able to tell others you watched it first. Some of this carries over to the other side. Those that upload the pirated material get to be the "hero" giving free content away. I'm sure you've heard about the recent cases against the guy that uploaded X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The guy claimed he bought a bootleg copy on the streets and then uploaded it. He could be facing three years in jail and a $250,000 fine or "twice the gross gain or gross loss attributable to the offense." It may sound harsh but it was estimated that 4.1 million people watched it illegally. Assuming we go with an average of $10 a movie ticket. That's $41 million dollars in ticket sales. Some of those 4.1 million may have actually gone and seen the movie in theaters but I'm sure there were lots that decided they didn't want to watch it again.
I know there are arguments that piracy doesn't have that much of an impact. If a movie is great, the word of mouth could be considered free advertising. It could also be said that some that take the time to watch a pirated version probably wouldn't want to see the movie in theaters anyway. I just don't understand the want or need to see an inferior version. I'm not trying to judge anyone here. People can do what they feel is "right." I just can't condone the act. I will be watching Iron Man 2 as it was meant to be seen. Hopefully you will as well.
Log in to comment