Revenge is sweet.
Record-breaking box-office receipts came in for the opening of the final installment of the "Star Wars" series this past weekend.
Having grossed US$158.5 million from Thursday to Sunday, "Revenge of the Sith" currently stands as online ticket seller Fandango's top-seller for opening weekend sales, according to MarketWatch. And the first two days were Fandango's top-selling 48 hours. Ever.
So where does that leave Dan 'Darth' Glickman, the boss of the movie studio cartel's MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) who's been screaming about the appearance of "Sith" online?
Inside Job
As everyone except the mainstream media knows, "Sith" showed up on the P2P networks the same day it opened in theaters. But the P2P viewing wasn't due to the efforts of an evil file sharer with Sony's (NYSE: SNE) latest pirate camcorder stashed under his/her grubby rain-coat.
Rather, it was because of yet another Hollywood insider leak -- not that it stopped Glickman from ranting about P2P file sharers, BitTorrent and anything else that came to mind.
Of 285 movies researchers sampled on the P2P networks, 77 percent were leaked by industry insiders, says the 2003 AT&T (NYSE: T) Labs report Analysis of Security Vulnerabilities in the Movie Production and Distribution Process.
Actor and studio owner Mel Gibson knows all about that. His Icon company sued a Hollywood post-production house for the online appearance of his "Passion" movie.
Placing Blame
And Russell Sprague got 130 movies from Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member Carmine Caridi, who was ordered to pay Warner Bros. a paltry US$300,000 for providing Sprague, who died in an L.A. jail cell, with the copies.
Had someone other than an academy member been caught dishing out 130 Hollywood features, Warner would have demanded millions of dollars in retribution and the case would have been splashed, splashed and splashed again by the world media.
But the Caridi debacle didn't receive anything like the kind of mainstream media exposure it warranted.
Meanwhile, although "Sith" was released officially on Thursday, it was already circulating on the P2P networks by Wednesday night.
Cash-Free
How do we know the leak was down to a Hollywood insider? Because the online version was a work print, not a copy made on a hidden camcorder.
Be that as it may, how much did downloaders pay for their private viewings? Not one red cent. No money changes hands on the P2P networks. Nor did it cost Hollywood anything serious in the way of box office receipts.
So will this now persuade the movie studio cartel to stop its ridiculous practice of suing its audiences and shutting down BiTorrent sites? And will the studios put their own houses in order?
Not a chance.
Sith Stories
Moderator: CricketMX Forum Moderators
I had it Thursady, I was a little late on the take.Rat wrote:Simply the fact that they're not making even more money. Senseless. I didn't know it was available online. Interesting.Red XIII wrote:making that kind of money, what are they bitching about?
Gonna go see it next tuesday-evening with three friends.
By then the theater will be half empty. I hope...
And to stick to the subject of this post:
Dedicated P2P using starwars-fans will not be hostages to be bartered, count Glickmanoo...(quote: Mace Windu)
Everybody could very well predict when or how the first copies would show up on the networks. Be it a leak or a handycam-job. And the darksiders immediately blame the P2P-users... You know why? Because they are LAZY! That is why some poor schmuck gets caught and busted for sharing some movies and some mp3's, while another never gets discovered sharing tons of gigs...
Unfair cruel world... Did I mention I found a job?
By then the theater will be half empty. I hope...
And to stick to the subject of this post:
Dedicated P2P using starwars-fans will not be hostages to be bartered, count Glickmanoo...(quote: Mace Windu)
Everybody could very well predict when or how the first copies would show up on the networks. Be it a leak or a handycam-job. And the darksiders immediately blame the P2P-users... You know why? Because they are LAZY! That is why some poor schmuck gets caught and busted for sharing some movies and some mp3's, while another never gets discovered sharing tons of gigs...
Unfair cruel world... Did I mention I found a job?
/|\
/|\ has a strict policy concerning disclosure of identity, showing of
light sabers, affiliationado's, multiple account users, drinking buddies who
join the same community they see me visit for years, and board hoggers
(whatever that means).
The policy is: If it doesn't bother me, I don't give a flying f4ck.
/|\ has a strict policy concerning disclosure of identity, showing of
light sabers, affiliationado's, multiple account users, drinking buddies who
join the same community they see me visit for years, and board hoggers
(whatever that means).
The policy is: If it doesn't bother me, I don't give a flying f4ck.
I saw it yesterday in the theatre. Maybe 20 people total. I thought it was the best out of the 3 new ones. Did anyone else notice the Millenium Falcon in one of the scenes? It was landing, you only see it for a brief second but it was there?
I never notice those things... Good movie, though...
/|\
/|\ has a strict policy concerning disclosure of identity, showing of
light sabers, affiliationado's, multiple account users, drinking buddies who
join the same community they see me visit for years, and board hoggers
(whatever that means).
The policy is: If it doesn't bother me, I don't give a flying f4ck.
/|\ has a strict policy concerning disclosure of identity, showing of
light sabers, affiliationado's, multiple account users, drinking buddies who
join the same community they see me visit for years, and board hoggers
(whatever that means).
The policy is: If it doesn't bother me, I don't give a flying f4ck.