[XiaNaphryz]

The Avengers Demonstrates Piracy's Overstated Effect on Ticket Sales:

There’s one story that’s getting overlooked as The Avengers continues to set records left and right at the box office. The film is also allegedly the most widely pirated cam release in torrent history. An early copy of The Avengers actually leaked out onto the internet a week ahead of release, and Disney was subsequently flipping out about the prospect of the full film being released on the web. Shortly after, the camcorder version had been downloaded a half million times, likely a record for the format. However, despite setting piracy records, all that’s really happened is that this has shown how much illegal downloads of in-theater movies really does not effect box office tallies. Even if you’re using the skewed math that says every download is a lost sale, the pirates would only make up 0.5% of the revenues of the film so far. Of course, that’s not the case, and anyone passionate enough about The Avengers to download it a week early more than likely had a desire to see on the big screen as well. Even if pirates are “cheapskates” the way they’re portrayed, cam copies of movies just aren’t remotely in the same league as seeing a movie in a theater. An apt comparison is that piracy of music does not prevent people from showing up to concerts. It’s just not a true alternative, especially for a film as epic as The Avengers. It’s not a full experience watching a low quality variant on your laptop. Cam piracy does come into play to a larger degree overseas where it can affect box office totals more significantly. Films are often harder to find in different parts of the world, and a staggered release schedule can lead to there being high quality DVD rips of a movie that’s still playing in theaters. In short, a film leaking onto the internet early has almost no impact on receipts in most areas, as the theater still offers an experience piracy cannot. But with unruly patrons and rising ticket prices, that may not be the case forever.

THR also has a related article up.

Why 'The Avengers' Wasn't the Most Pirated Film Last Week

The Avengers raked in more than $200 million in U.S. box office, making it the biggest three-day domestic opening of all time. But there's one metric where the Joss Whedon-directed superhero blockbuster actually underperformed: piracy. As hard as it is to believe, the film was only the third-most downloaded movie on BitTorrent last week, despite being on the market for more than a week overseas. Yes, despite efforts by Disney and Marvel to prevent copies of the film from circulating online, cam rips of The Avengers are definitely being traded online. Nevertheless, the popular new film was less downloaded than Haywire, the Steven Soderbergh action film that came out months ago and was just released on DVD. Both films ranked behind the McG-directed This Means War, according to figures from TorrentFreak. So what does this mean? Have studios successfully mitigated the piracy threat? Judging by what we saw at the premiere of The Avengers, Marvel/Disney were very careful about controlling leaks, going through bags like TSA agents at an airport. Some studios and theater companies are experimenting with new technologies like sending out a beam of light onto unsuspecting movie watchers to uncover those camcording. Police have even arrested individuals recording The Avengers on their mobile phones. These efforts still don't explain why a geek phenomenon like The Avengers ranked just third on TorrentFreak's top most pirated films last week. Cam rips of The Avengers were available online, and regardless of how tough they were to find, pirates have proved resilient to countermeasures on popular films in the past. A Disney spokesperson didn't respond to our requests to explain why the film wasn't more consumed on pirate channels. On message boards like TF's, observers are pointing to The Avenger's failure to grab the top spot as evidence that fears about piracy destroying theater attendance have been overblown. Others seem to suggest the low quality of the cam rips is a factor in keeping the numbers down. That might change when better versions become available, potentially cannibalizing sales off of DVDs and on distribution channels like iTunes. In the meantime, the news represents a positive not only for Disney but also to theater owners. Benjamin Mogil, an analyst at Stifel Financial, notes that of the 20 highest-grossing screens in America, 17 were Imax. "If there was ever a sales pitch to add an Imax screen, that was probably it," he says. Another interesting statistic: More than half of the theatrical box office (52 percent) last week was generated by non-Imax 3D, though this probably has more to do with the overwhelming success of The Avengers than the false notion that 3D is immune to piracy. Over at the website Plagiarism Today, Jonathan Bailey has his own nuanced take about how to square the fact that piracy hasn't destroyed the box-office popularity of The Avengers. He writes, "Saying that 'The Avengers did well, therefore piracy is not an issue,' is akin to saying, 'It’s cold today, therefore there’s no global warming.' It’s looking at a small, narrow sample and trying to extrapolate results that are far too big."

[Kinitari]

Confused, was it the most pirated film or wasn't it?

I don't advocate piracy, but it's really a futile effort spending so much time and money trying to track down pirates and charge them - especially when it doesn't seem to have a significant effect on the actual legal consumption of the material.

[thetrin]

but who will think of the children that go hungry because the MPAA is constantly under attack? WHO WILL THINK OF THE MPAA?!

Confused, was it the most pirated film or wasn't it? I don't advocate piracy, but it's really a futile effort spending so much time and money trying to track down pirates and charge them - especially when it doesn't seem to have a significant effect on the actual legal consumption of the material.

The point is that piracy doesn't affect ticket sales as dramatically as the MPAA reports...which I'm sure surprises no one.

EDIT: Nevermind. Misread your post.

[XiaNaphryz]

Confused, was it the most pirated film or wasn't it?

Sounds like it was 3 or 4 weeks ago from the first article, but the second article says its since dropped down.

[ChuyMasta]

So, what other movies were pirated more than the avengers? You know, for research.

[iNvid02]

cams have little effect on ticket sales, its the hq rips that offer a decent alternative to the cinema

stop wasting time and money on anti cam technology and focus on the more important issues

e.g in region X the film is available on dvd while in region Y its still weeks away and only in cinemas
these release gaps and regional differences help promote piracy

[amrod]

here's a idea... make good movies and people will pay to see them

[Gooster]

So, what other movies were pirated more than the avengers? You know, for research.

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire and McG's This Means War, according to the linked Hollywood Reporter article.

:lol "Let's spend money on technological studies to find pirates and then overstate the profits we aren't happy with, I mean the MONEY WE'RE LOSING!"

[MrPink93485]

Well, something to consider is that the better a movie is, the more likely one is to go see it in theaters instead of pirating it. If it's mediocre or average, then people are more inclined to pirate the film so they avoid the risk of spending money and disliking it. Obviously the Avengers was well received so perhaps more people willing to shell out the money for it to see in theaters.

[ChuyMasta]

Steven Soderbergh's Haywire and McG's This Means War, according to the linked Hollywood Reporter article.

Thank you.

[amrod]

So, what other movies were pirated more than the avengers? You know, for research.

http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-...orrent-120507/

[Mangotron]

Saying camrips cannibalize ticket sales is just absurd to me, the album/concert analogy in the article is pretty apt. For me the theatre is a pretty big social event, you can't even replace that experience with a quality rip.

[Messypandas]

Is there any articles on actual cinema admissions though? I read somewhere ticket sales are declining but records are being set because of the 3D tax and the like. Every time I go to the cinema its nigh on half empty unless its opening night

[BlueTsunami]

The second article if funny. Its like someone smelled the argument against piracy effecting sales and looked at some torrent chartz and extrapolated from that.

Well, something to consider is that the better a movie is, the more likely one is to go see it in theaters instead of pirating it. If it's mediocre or average, then people are more inclined to pirate the film so they avoid the risk of spending money and disliking it. Obviously the Avengers was well received so perhaps more people willing to shell out the money for it to see in theaters.

Which is funny in a 'the market will find a way' sort of way. Movie was good, people flocked. End of story. Its too bad the industry still tries to shovel tripe down our throats though.

[Tobor]

here's a idea... make good movies and people will pay to see them

That's certainly what's happened here.

[thetrin]

here's a idea... make good movies and people will pay to see them

That's too much to ask for from Hollywood. Why create quality when you can blame other people for your shortcomings?

[Des0lar]

cams have little effect on ticket sales, its the hq rips that offer a decent alternative to the cinema stop wasting time and money on anti cam technology and focus on the more important issues e.g in region X the film is available on dvd while in region Y its still weeks away and only in cinemas these release gaps and regional differences help promote piracy

Yup, this is the most hurtful for the movie industry. If movies are already available in good quality online while they are still months away from being shown in Europe, people WILL download it.

[malyce]

affect... really does not affect

[XiaNaphryz]

Is there any articles on actual cinema admissions though? I read somewhere ticket sales are declining but records are being set because of the 3D tax and the like. Every time I go to the cinema its nigh on half empty unless its opening night

Someone mentioned in the weekly box office thread that only 52% of the revenue came from 3D screenings, which if true means the film still would be somewhere in the top 3 opening weekends of all time. Someone else in that thread mentioned Avengers sold 26 million tickets, which would also be a record.

[BigDug13]

I live in Japan now. I think the movie is releasing here in August? I'm seriously tempted to view it early but the quality has turned me off of even trying. But even if there was a decent quality cam version and even if I watched that, it would not stop me from seeing it in the theater as well.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/releaseinfo

Every country on the planet gets it before the end of May except Japan who gets it in August? Wtf

[cutmeamango]

Camrips hurts sales because they give all the cinematic feel needed. 3D drab colors, shaky cam scenes, and crowd mood. But you avoid dirty seats, lines and parking!

[SUPREME1]

Meh. I'm not a fan of pirated movies. People have handed me countless burned copies of movies in the past and I usually just give them to other people.

I'd rather spend money on a blu-ray copy or rental. Maybe it's because I care about picture and sound quality. As a matter of fact, I rarely even order movies via PPV because you won't get the same level of audio that you will from a blu-ray.


7.1 HD codecs & 1080p

or bust

[Gooster]

I will say that I can't remember the last movie where I heard from multiple friends, "I couldn't go see the movie. It was sold out." Even Sunday night, I went to see it and expected the crowds to at least be less than Friday or Saturday. I was dead wrong.

[JGS]

Effect on new release revenue is irrelevant to it being illegal to begin with. Can't pirate Speed Racer either and it was a flop.

The company's have a right to explain any reason they see fit to either stop the practice or treat it as unhealthy activity.

[faceless007]

I think it's likely that piracy has less of an effect on big effects-driven tentpole films that people want to see on the big screen. I can still see piracy hurting "smaller" films like dramas and thrillers that people don't see as big a need to see in theaters.

[Darryl]

I live in Japan now. I think the movie is releasing here in August? I'm seriously tempted to view it early but the quality has turned me off of even trying. But even if there was a decent quality cam version and even if I watched that, it would not stop me from seeing it in the theater as well. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0848228/releaseinfo Every country on the planet gets it before the end of May except Japan who gets it in August? Wtf

That's really surprising because I thought Japan would be a hot market for the Avengers, with the anime shows and stuff.

[Speevy]

Why do so many movies need to be huge CG fireworks displays?

[Mr. B Natural]

The movie industry is becoming a hit business just like gaming. Part of it, but just part of it, is due to piracy and having to break the loss-barrier that includes. It's also pushing gimmicky crap like 3d in order to create a can't-get-at-home experience. It's also pushing the lowest-common-denominator blockbuster shlock because you have to expand your audience and you can't ignore the 12 - 50 year old kid/man (yeah, that's how big the demographic has homogenized) without penalty.

[shagg_187]

And yet:



I bet MPAA think this shit is working...

[Mammoth Jones]

The real loss will occur right before the Blu Ray's get released.

[Tobor]

Why do so many movies need to be huge CG fireworks displays?

You were hoping for a quiet, subdued Avengers movie? Maybe Iron Man and Hulk having a cup of coffee and talking about life?

[onemic]

In most cases the people that pirate media are the ones that probably wouldn't pay to watch it in the first place if there was no way to pirate it.

[Parallax]

You were hoping for a quiet, subdued Avengers movie? Maybe Iron Man and Hulk having a cup of coffee and talking about life?

....i wouldnt mind that...

[Divvy]

You were hoping for a quiet, subdued Avengers movie? Maybe Iron Man and Hulk having a cup of coffee and talking about life?

Perhaps eating some shawarma even?

[Speevy]

You were hoping for a quiet, subdued Avengers movie? Maybe Iron Man and Hulk having a cup of coffee and talking about life?

No, I'm not talking about the Avengers. I'm relating my opinion to this article.

If The Avengers is proof that piracy is overstated, then more movies like Avengers are the only ways to combat piracy.

[chris.trejo]

Sounds like they waste more money trying to fight pirates then by actual pirates. I'm sure if they fixed the issues of releasing films in different regions at different times it would help a lot. Of course it helps that the Avengers is the kind of movie you should see on the big screen first.

[Tobor]

Perhaps eating some shawarma even?

Avengers 2: Shawarmageddon.

[TheBaldEmperor]

You wouldn't download an Avenger!

[Tobor]

No, I'm not talking about the Avengers. I'm relating my opinion to this article. If The Avengers is proof that piracy is overstated, then more movies like Avengers are the only ways to combat piracy.

Well, they can't afford to make every movie like The Avengers. There are arguably too many tentpole releases as is.

[kavinsky]

here's a idea... make good movies and people will pay to see them

And release them overseas first.

[BigDug13]

And release them overseas first.

This. Here I am thinking about watching a cam rip because the movie doesn't release in Japan until August.

[3N16MA]

Who would want to watch a shitty cam of this film?

[mj1108]

They'll still say they lost money.

"We would have made $300 million instead of $200 million instead".

*releases story saying the studio lost $100 million to piracy over the weekend*

[The Hermit]

I am going to watch it tomorrow... I could download it, hell even if there was a 720p version, but I won't because its a disservice for the movie. The comparission of this to a mp3 vs a live concert is somewhat apropriate.

[Kinyou]

Piracy would probably have had done actual damage to Avengers if cam rips were the same quality as blu ray rips.

So while the movies in cinema are safe, I can understand why some TV companies would complain about piracy.

[chris.trejo]

And yet: I bet MPAA think this shit is working...

lol that looks like the AMC by my house.

[Tacitus_]

Eww, cam rips. You have to be really desperate (or cheap) to watch one of those.

[MIMIC]

http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-...orrent-120507/

THE FUCK?

EDIT: Oh, this is a weekly thing. Never mind then :)

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

And yet: I bet MPAA think this shit is working...

Wait, is that a movie theater? What does that guy do?

[Solo]

Wait, is that a movie theater? What does that guy do?

Probably checking to make sure you're not the guy sitting in the theatre with a fucking camera.