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Wolverine Film Leaked a Month Before Release

hansamurai writes "The FBI are investigating the leak of an almost finished copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine a month before the film's cinema release. The movie was reported to have been downloaded several hundred thousand times and has since been 'removed.' Viewers have called the movie incomplete, missing some special effects and music. Fox and the MPAA are still upset, though, but say the copy is forensically marked and can be traced to the leak. The film is due out May 1st in the United States, and the leaked copy is marked March 2nd."

7 of 464 comments (clear)

  1. Marvel's "Origin" Series by eldavojohn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Disclaimer: I do not care for (nor own but a couple) manga, comic books or 'graphic novels.'

    But when I was bored out of my mind one day I picked up the first of a six part series called "Origin" issued by Marvel in 2001.

    The story was good (not great) but the art was phenomenal. I am glad they re-worked Wolverine's origin story from whatever they had alluded to before and I recommend you view this series based purely on its art.

    I can't find any indication of which story they are basing this film on. I only hope the movie can live up to the beautiful imagery and settings in this series.

    I also hold the very unpopular viewpoint that it's basically a slap in the face to an artist to view their work before they're done with it. I also find it laughable that anyone would seek this out aside from people involved in movie production or people interested in this process to study. Do I think it will hurt the movie or cause any amount of financial loss? No, it's merely disrespectful and actually kind of humorous that anyone would ruin the initial exposure of what could amount to a great film.

    --
    My work here is dung.
  2. Marked but they haven't arrested the guy? by MosesJones · · Score: 5, Interesting

    the copy is forensically marked

    Ummm if this was true then it wouldn't be an issue of asking the FBI to investigate it would be a matter of telling the FBI which guy to arrest.

    It will be interesting to see how long it takes to secure a conviction in this case and just how truthful the statements on protection are.

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
    1. Re:Marked but they haven't arrested the guy? by quangdog · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Does anyone know how it is forensically marked? Is it something as silly as a banner that appears from time to time in the film with a copyright notice on it? Or is there something more technically interesting going on - some method of steganography in film?

  3. Article Quotes by furby076 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    20th Century Fox confirmed the copy had now been removed

    Goodluck with that

    The film is not due for release until 29 April in the UK and 1 May in the US.

    This just annoys me. Release it on the same date.

    "Even if you see the workprint you're still going to have to go see it in the theatre to fully experience the full movie with CGI effects fully intact."

    Considering I like action movies on a screen bigger then 48 inches then yes.

    According to its website, Rising Sun Pictures is an Australian visual effects company that worked on the film and is currently working on production of Terminator Salvation.

    So when can I expect an early release of Terminator salvation?

    The Federation Against Copyright Theft said a leak of this kind was extremely unusual as pre-release security had been tightened in recent years.

    I had a full dvd rip of LOTR 3 two months before the movie was released to the movie theatres. By full rip I mean the DVD you would buy in stores when the movie was to be released to stores. This is not unusual/uncommon.

    We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning piracy and this illegal posting and pointing out that such theft undermines the enormous efforts of the filmmakers and actors and, above all, hurts fans of the film" the studio said.

    Obvioulsy we will condem it, but that won't stop an "estimated several 100,000 times" of downloads from happening.

    In 2007 director Eli Roth blamed an online leak of his horror film Hostel: Part II for reducing box office returns.

    Yes there will be some people who say "meh i saw an early release so no reason to see it in theatres" There will also be people who want to see the completed version on the BIG screen.

    In an interview with MTV he claimed: "You could buy Hostel: Part II for a quarter in Mexico City. As a result, in a lot of countries where the piracy was bad, they just didn't even release it."

    This part is a shame...people who are willing to pay 25 cents for the movie because they want to view it but aren't willing to go to the movie theatre or buy it on legit dvd. These movies aren't free to make.

    In a change from recent years, the adverts move away from the message that piracy is theft. Audiences will instead see a trailer, fronted by Dr Who actor Noel Clarke, thanking them for paying to come and watch a film.

    About time - i would prefer to see someone thanking me when I buy/rent a legit dvd. I understand the need to have the message there, but I have seen it ton of times. I wish they would make it so I could skip over it.

    --

    I do not support "The Man". I also do not support your irrational stupidity
  4. Re:I missed it? by v1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The MPAA/FOX may very well have their eyes on those seeder and peer lists.

    I'll take anyone's bet to the otherwise. I have absolute confidence that all the peers in that torrent that have a flimsy ISP will get an email in a week.

    --
    I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
  5. This might change my mind by __aanaom1261 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I had absolutely no interest in this movie and no plans to see it. The opportunity to see a work in progress is intriguing though, and I would be more inclined to go see the finished movie after watching the work print to compare the two. I'm not necessarily saying it's a good thing that this was leaked, but in my case (and maybe a few others), this might change a "not interested" into a potential customer interested in a peak at the film making process.

  6. I watched it by shellster_dude · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Since I have an interest in CG and filmography I downloaded the workprint just because I wanted to see how they blended the CG with real effects. I will be seeing the movie in theaters as well.