What the Wolverine Leak Means for the Future of Piracy
April 12, 2009 Posted in Entertainment, Movies
Twentieth-Century Fox was the butt of a big prank this April Fool’s Day, when news broke that a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked onto the net. Movies get leaked habitually, sure, but the circumstances combined to make it feel like a first: It was a DVD-quality copy. Of a massive, big-budget superhero movie. Online a full month before the movie’s release.
The bootleg spread like wildfire, and by some accounts there were over one hundred thousand downloads on the first day alone. That’s a lot of conceivable box office revenue.
It felt like a first, but it also might be a last. Because the way I experienced it, April Fool’s Day marked the end of piracy’s glory days — the day piracy stopped being casually tolerated by everyone but studio heads.
This goes beyond Fox’s you-messed-with-the-wrong-people response to the incident (they put out a statement which went something like, and I’m paraphrasing, “we’re working with the FBI to make sure whomever was responsible will spend the rest of their life worrying about dropping the soap”). And it goes beyond the firing of FoxNews.com‘s Roger Friedman, who won the Stupidest (Ex-)Columnist in the World award for writing a review of the bootleg and encouraging people to watch more movies online illegally. (Seriously, man. Twentieth-Century Fox and Fox News are sibling companies, what kind of false sense of job security did you have?)
It also goes beyond whether the movie was any good or not. I’ve read good and bad things; the majority of responses haven’t been promising, but then again, we’re talking about the internet. Do the disparagers really think watching it on a fifteen-inch screen with unfinished special effects will provide the same experience sitting in a movie theater will? No, they just like being negative.
What it really boils down to is that the online fan community itself condemned the leak. Universally.
Ain’t It Cool News, the granddaddy of online movie spoiling and fanboy bitching, ran a story called “We Don’t Want your Wolverine Movie Reviews,” explaining, “the only way you’re seeing it right now is through illegal channels, and we’re not going to condone that.”
JoBlo.com downplayed its potential effects, saying that “while there will always be a percentage of internetizens who actively seek pirated/bootleg/camera copies of movies, it’s probably safe to say that the average consumer still prefers the theater experience.”
TheBadandUgly.com said they stopped watching the bootleg after a couple minutes, in order to get the better theatrical experience: “Just because you can watch a rough-sketch and go somewhere on the internet to read the entire plot,” the article says, “does not mean you, I or anyone knows what X-Men Origins: Wolverine looks like. Because it isn’t done.”
And DarkHorizons.com summed things up by saying “It’s an act that cruelly robs thousands of people of not just months of hard effort, but their potential livelihood as well.”
That was the reigning sentiment: even if you don’t care about hurting a big studio, you’re hurting the hundreds of hardworking crew members who spent months on the project. If piracy translates into lost revenue, that’s going to translate into smaller budgets and fewer jobs.
If you really want a nail in the coffin? Even some pirates are speaking out against the leak. The New York Times ran a story called “Some Pirates Won’t Watch Illegal Wolverine”, while Gizmodo came out with a “Pirate’s Code of Conduct”, which contained gems like “save action flicks…for the big screen” and ” if you really like it and can afford to do so, buy it.”
Does this mean everyone in the world has suddenly found a stringent set of morals? That’s pretty doubtful. But the tide of public opinion has turned. And I am sure about one thing:
The fourteen-year-old who stole the copy of Wolverine from his dad’s postproduction and posted it online thinking he was cool is totally crapping his pants right now.
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lol.
this article is retarded.
you cant get the full experience on a 15'' screen? okay ill watch it on my 50'' plasma…..Whats that you say? still not as good as theater? then studios shouldn't be allowed to sell DVD's because you cant get the full experience of the movie right?
while were on the subject why dont they do this, give out a download code when I buy my $10 ticket. I already saw the movie and know whats gonna happen why do I have to pay again to watch it at home?
I saw it online, it was good but missing some CGI, im still gonna go to the theatre and see it with a couple friends that didnt want to see it online, it will be a good experience for my self to see the differences and what they changed in the CGI and stuff just because im into that kinda thing.
this is such a bullshit conclusion. nothing's changed. nothing will change. unless society decides to go gestapo to do it.
as for smaller budgets for movies or the future of movies being in danger… seriously – what fing reality do you live in?! that you believe all of hollywood's bitching and moaning about piracy and shakey cam and the fing vcr for crying out loud.
if they can't find a way to make money, tell them to GET THE F OUT OF THE WAY. there are billions behind them waiting for their shot.
movies will get made. i say again – MOVIES WILL GET MADE.
stars will be paid tens of dollars on the penny for every poor hollywood craftsman and i'll break out my little violin when the stars start forfeiting their pay to help out the little guys they use as the posterboys in these weepy "won't you think of the children" ploys.
this is all just so much ridiculous bullshit that it's difficult to understand how someone who's coherent enough to string sentences together can fall for it.
make no mistake, this is the rich bitching about their "plight".
boo fing hoo.
Fred,
Why bother downloading the pre-CG version. Lets be honest, we pay for the cinema experience and the shiny graphics that match the plot.
Watching it before its done is kind of sad.
"lol.
this article is retarded.
you cant get the full experience on a 15” screen? okay ill watch it on my 50” plasma…..Whats that you say? still not as good as theater? then studios shouldn’t be allowed to sell DVD’s because you cant get the full experience of the movie right?"
You're the one who's retarded. How does a workprint (that means unfinished) copy of an action movie that requires CG for most of its scenes look on your 50" plasma? You're just cheap. Admit it. Nobody's judging. Not really.
"while were on the subject why dont they do this, give out a download code when I buy my $10 ticket. I already saw the movie and know whats gonna happen why do I have to pay again to watch it at home?"
Why? Because you WANT to watch it again. Hey I paid $7 for a Big mac meal, does that mean every Big Mac meal after should be free? I've used demos of computer softwares, shouldn't I get free copies of those programs?
I won't watch it. Just like I won't watch cam versions. I want the finished product, in high quality.
The movie was leaked at least one day before April Fool's Day actually. Seems the New York Times has that part wrong too.
this article is nothing but fearmongering and trying to sway public opinion on pirating. it fails. garbage paid propaganda.
Sorry for my bad english.
I think this is very good. In fact, I was wondering… What could happen if the studios themselves release some kind of "streamlined, with unfinished effects, but full movie" and promise MORE scenes in the theater, like DVD's do it now, or a different ending, and a much polished version.
If the movie is good enough, i'll be the first waiting the boring months for the official movie release. I'll be the first for buying a ticket. Is like a friend telling you the movie, if you have no friends (or no imagination :) )
1 People want to see Wolverine 2 If the movie is actually good, people will recommend it to otros, no? 3 Your movie should not be about the money 4 Your movie should not be about the money 5 If you actually cared for the purpose of the Wolverine Character, let anyone that is missing out on life to experience the movie by any means necessary and I'm sure the buzz will repay you in the end.
What's really funny about this article is if you replaced "movie industry" with "record industry" everyone would be laughing and saying how great it is that the record industry is finally getting theirs and that they should all go out of business for putting out crappy product.
And about Wolverine… it was really pretty bad, and no amount of special effects can save it from lameness.
Sorry, but they ruined wolverine.. just like the record industry ruined modern music.
The best part of the movie are actually the opening credits. The whole movie is actually one big pile of computer animations. The beginning of the movie though is kind of fun..
pay actors less.
you have now made up in loss revenue.
And we know for sure… it was a guy?
You are all being naive…the only reason why this movie has been leaked is because Fox knows this movie is bad. If the movie is leaked and it does no business in the box office, then they have the excuse of saying, "it wasn't our fault nobody went to see this…the movie was leaked."
The movie business is a business first and foremost…these things don't 'just happen'.
What a retarded post…
Workprint films are great…. so funny having the dodgy cut scenes, and seeing the actors flying through the air on wires. <3
So what!! It was leaked very early… It will still make a huge amount of cash in the first week it is out.
Haha this article makes me laugh.
If people actually think that the movie industry is in trouble they must be living in a cave. If the movie isn't crap people will go see it no matter how good the pirated copy is and the movie will make money. How well did Dark Knight do at the box office… Fing amazing thats how. Yah i downloaded the pirated copy but i also saw it in theaters 3 times, so Hollywood can go cry my a river… stop putting out crap and people will watch it.
The pirate industry is dead because a pack of pathetic pimple riddled comic book geeks are upset online over their jiz stained hero movie being stolen by people who may actually have lives worth living.
I was not interested in this movie, and I do not pirate movies unless I intend on buying them as soon as they are on DVD. But if I were ever to watch this poor example of a childs hero with cat fighting girly claws, then Foxs response and the petulance of the X geeks will mean that I will be pirating the movie… which is as unlikely as me voluntarily cutting off my own testicles. Which is interestingly the only way I may be balless enough to enjoy the movie.
People aren't saying it's bad because they like to be negative. They're telling the truth so all you retards that like to look down on piracy won't waste your money on such a piece of crap movie. Firstly, if the special effects are that important to your film…it probably sucks. More importantly, no amount of amazing CG or new footage could polish this turd into anything substantial. The only way the theatrical release will be any better than the leaked workprint is if they're actually two entirely different films…which is far from likely.