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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."
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.
Yep, you missed it.
For the first and only time, something that has "leaked" to the internet has been completely and utterly removed from it. You need to be quicker next time.
It's the latest wrinkle in the marketer's playbook.
Set your phasers on "funky"!
Then grab a torrent, such as:
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4816113/X-Men.Origins.Wolverine.2009.WORKPRiNT.XviD-NoRar
Ok, even if I don't agree, I can at least see the logic between "full movie dl's = less ticket sales." But this is a freaking action movie without completed special effects. Can you honestly tell me there are a significant number of people interested in seeing an action movie, minus special effects, who aren't also the fanboy-types who will see it in theatres?
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
This probably all has to do with being under paid in an industry that makes ass loads of cash for the few at the top, and hardly any at the bottom.
You're right about the rapidly declining quality of Hollywood's output. There's no real depth to anything recent. The old proven actors (like Star Trek and Star Wars) have become senile, uncaring, and devoid of soul at the hands of money-grubbers.
The new crop of actors are cretinous, pretentious fuckwits who are chosen for their tits and their "real-life" drama which is as manufactured as their movies are. You know things are sad when Hollywood's releasing movies like "X-men 25: Because you'll see it Anyway" and "Direct to DVD 5: The theater is only for Booze and sex".
It talks about how the FBI has been called like it's a major disaster.
I can picture it now:
FBI: Hello FBI?
MPAA: THE NEW WOLVERINE FILM HAS BEEN LEAKED
FBI: SHIT, EVERYONE DROP THEIR RAPE CASES, THEIR KIDDIE PORN CASES, THEIR TERRORIST CASES, THE NEW WOLVERINE FILM HAS BEEN LEAKED WE MUST FIND OUT WHO DID THIS
It's just the way the leak of a film gets more news coverage than more serious stories. It's like it's an international tragedy. I mean seriously, a film with chunks missing, temporary sound, CGI missing and so on. There are companies every day that have their security breached and IP stolen. Why does it get international coverage when it's a half-finished movie?
The real response from the FBI should be:
FBI: Here's your case number, take your ticket and get to the back of the queue
On a side note the BBC also said that Fox has had the download of the new film taken down now - that baffled me a bit, I doubt very much they've managed to get it removed from the whole internet, if they have they're the first company in history to achieve such a thing!
This is not an April Fool's joke. This is real AND no one can remove shit like this from the internet.
The cat is far out of the bag.
The movie is still available on most major torrent sites.
IsoHunt
TPB
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
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.
my torrent download is screaming fast now
Jesus saves souls and redeems them for valuable cash prizes
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.
I'd take my chances at not being the on in 60k they choose to sue.
Seeders: 22425
Leechers:36869
total: 59294
Infact that's a snapshot so you're probably closer to 1 in a million chance of getting sued, IF they choose to sue any of the seeders not just the leak!
IranAir Flight 655 never forget!
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.
I hate to ruin it for you, but he dies in the end.
-- I was raised on the command line, bitch
I will never again willingly watch anything in a cinema so long as I live. Poor food, poor seats, poor video quality, and most of all poor company. The only advantage cinemas still retain over my living room is their sound systems, and frankly it's not worth the bother. I will wait for the Blu-Ray of any new film. It costs about as much as trip to the cinema anyway.
And if the studio refuses to release in my region simultaneously with others, I'll download the film. Tough luck guys. I had the money in my hand, ready to give it to you, but you gave me the finger instead. So guess what I'm giving you.
May the Maths Be with you!
Its a shame the FBI will spend time and resources to investigate civil crimes such as media piracy --- yet the FBI continuously fails to investigate political corruption, vote fraud, and a number of other seriously criminal acts that happen in the US.
I am somehow reminded (living in CA where it is illegal) of the local police and highway patrol constantly using their Cell Phones while driving...
I guess the FBI knows not to bite the dirty hands that feed them.
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.
Comcast stands their ground, right? Right!?
/franticly loads up killdisk, shreds burned DVDs.
Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
The new crop of actors are cretinous, pretentious fuckwits who are chosen for their tits and their "real-life" drama which is as manufactured as their movies are.
I love to be the one to break this to you: the old crop of actors is primarily a bunch of cretinous, pretentious fuckwits who were chosen for their attractiveness to the public. (There are of course limited counterexamples.) Their "real-life" drama was as manufactured as their movies were. One seriously great example is Sean Connery, the favorite James Bond. SNL "Celebrity Jeopardy" -- it's funny because it's true!
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
We do Internet for hotels. (In room WiFi) We have about 75 hotels under monitoring. All of them hit bit torrent hard every single night and max out the pipe. We have only ever received 1 MPAA letter. And for the record, the majority of our hotel feeds are from ATT business class DSL or Comcast business Internet. (Also ATT MIS, Logix, Covad, CBeyond, Embarq, and a few others)
There's plenty of great actors and actresses around. The fact that there are a LOT more movies coming out might give the appearance of low quality, but, frankly, there were a lot of low quality movies "back in the day".
As for actors being chosen for their "real life drama", come on. We live in a society of the most venomous fans I've ever seen. If an actor has real life drama it's more of a death knell than a sign of success to come.
If the movie is good the positive feedback will bring out more viewers, if the movie sucks then nobody will want to go see it in theaters.
...because they cannot count to two
Did you really just log into slashdot and shit-talk Natalie Portman? Really? Sure, she needed some polish back in The Professional and I cried after watching Star Wars: Episode I (and not because of the emotional scenes). But man, I could forgive Natalie for anything.
That said, overall I agree. I keep trying to like Dollhouse but I just can't get past the acting... Movies recently (Watchmen excepted) have been just as painful.
He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
We should all go see it in theaters so we would have proof that piracy encourages revenue.
So has this site given up all pretence of being 'news for nerds' and become a side-project for the pirate bay now?
Every story concerning piracy takes the pirates POV, every criticism of thepiratebay is brushed aside, and now top stories are new hollywood movies, complete with +5 modded links to copyrighted material.
I thought bit-torrent was only used for free speech and linux distros?
+5 hyprocrites
DRM-free indie games for the PC and Mac: Positech Games
Each suit is an individual case and stands on its own merits and evidence. They probably don't have the time or money, or expect enough retribution, to sue 60,000 people, or even more than a handful.
If she isn't naked and petrified with a bowl of hot grits, Slashdotters are by and large not interested.
Bah, it's probably just the MPAA's new business model. They know the movie is a piece of crap that won't do well in the theatre... so instead they "leak" it then sue everyone that touches the torrent.
(-1 cynical)
Come play free flash games on Kongregate!
First. I agree with the OP and the BBC. How the hell does this get some sort of express FBI coverage? It's a freaking movie. Not a bomb threat or a kidnapping. So some sweaty fanboy snagged a pre-release copy. So freaking what?
It's sickening how the government will instantly bend over backwards for big business. Pathetic.
Second thing.
But it is reasonable to pursue something like this, because realistically a work print this early will drive down sales in a major way costing the producers millions, easily.
Prove it.
How do you know this won't work like an extended commercial, drumming up interest? Studies have shown that people who illegally download music also happen to spend more on music than other people.
The FBI may be trying to bust someone who helped, rather than harmed the studio.
The main problem with crap like this is how do you assess damage? We all know that it's possible to skew the numbers in such a way that a single mp3 download is equal to either thousands of hours worth of free advertising, or thousands of dollars worth of lost sales.
Until someone resolves that debate, you really can't call this anything more than a single copyright violation. And certainly not worthy of anything more than a raised eyebrow from the FBI, rather than this gigantic government funded reacharound they're giving the MPAA.
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
You need to watch better movies. :-)
Highlights of the past few years (for me):
Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
No Country for Old Men
Serenity
Pan's Labyrinth
Love Actually
Granted, not all of those are Hollywood films but most are. There are plenty of indie films that are likely way better than anything in that list. There was a vampire movie from Sweden, translation: Let the Right One In that had a bunch of hype as the greatest vampire film ever made. I saw it, but I guess my expectations were too high. I still think Fright Night is the best. :-)
There is nothing wrong with choosing someone for their tits.
except when it's to watch someone who has no acting talent for 2 hours straight without showing a single nipple...
Yeah, but like condoms, Peerguardian is not 100% effective.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
There is nothing wrong with choosing someone for their tits.
Wait, I skipped a couple of posts. Are we still talking about Obama?
My debut novel AMITY now available: http://jeremydbrooks.c
Did you even see Michael Clayton? Or Little Children, or In the Bedroom, or The Queen, or Doubt.
Guess what, dude. The acting in the original Star Wars and the first three Treks is pretty bad, too; there's nothing exceptionally bad about newer films-- You're just remembering it through rose-colored glasses. Acting in CGI/scifi/action films has always been pretty "eh."
Film has always been a prime actors medium, just not when acting against a green screen.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
Because the cost involved in trying to track down and sue 60k users, many of whom will be in foreign countries or using isps who won't cooperate would just be stupid.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
Fun fact- at the height of its output in 1934 or so, MGM was producing a feature film every week, with several simultaneous side units producing episodes of serials ever 5 days or so. All of the other studios had similar output -- even a small studio like Republic could shoot, cut and deliver a western in a matter of weeks; most of these films were average, and are forgotten. Have you any idea how many Wallace Beery boxing films there were? Or Charlie Chan features? There were like 12. You open up a fan magazine from the 30s and you can read about 40 films and you're lucky if you recognize 3 of them.
There's always been gobs of product, and every year only a few of them rise to the top. The quality of feature motion pictures now is probably, in the mean, better I'd say, just because there's so much room now to get downscale stuff release on TV and cable.
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
The Joker's point throughout the movie is that people are self-serving and will turn on heroes as soon as it suits their whim. When he talks to Batman in the police station, he basically says as much, explaining that Batman's token obedience to his "one rule" counts for shit when the chips are down. To prove his point, he gives the people on the boat the means to save themselves at the expense of breaking what we would hope is each person's "one rule." The fact that they didn't is the movie telling us that there is hope for people and that we're not just a base collection of alienated individuals. The people on the boat are the ones who really defeated Joker in the movie by rejecting his premise. That's why the ending was so comparatively weak. Batman's not really the hero.
When the axe came to the forest, the trees said, "Look out - the handle was once one of us."
Those people are meant to work in strip clubs, not films. If you can't act you don't belong in a movie. Just because there are a bunch of other famous people in the movie doesn't make you a good actor. It just means you're the eye candy and they're the ones that are going to make the film tolerable despite your complete inability to act. There are too many movies like that. It's dreadful.
You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
The MPAA downloaded a copy, thereby reducing the number of copies available.
Of course he's not the hero. He's the bloody Dark Knight.
You are using English. Please learn the difference between loose and lose; they're, there, and their; your and you're.
That's stealing!
"Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
Only one peer has to be a wolf in the sheep. In a swarm of that popularity, there may be 3500 peers. Odds are slim indeed that all 3500 of them are NOT mpaa agents running BT logging tools. That safepeer or whatever it is isn't providing much beyond a false sense of security. They mainly block known subnets. If someone takes a logger home and loads it on their PC, (and I'm sure they do) then it will sneak into the swarm no matter what you try.
I know several people that have received multiple letters from their ISPs. A couple have been told "one more and we disconnect you". I haven't ran into anyone that's actually gotten the boot though so I don't know if they don't carry through, or if everyone just gives up on BT after the warnings look genuine.
Private trackers (and I don't mean "demonoid" private) are probably the safest way to BT at this time. Those users have to keep a ratio, and the wolves don't usually upload to the swarm, (seeing as that would either #1 be infringement, or #2 produce bad checksums and get you kicked) they just connect and quietly log IPs from the tracker scrapes. Those servers usually introduce some level of responsibility to the inviter for his invite tree also so people don't just invite random individuals, and invites are in too limited a supply to waste.
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
It is the top movie on The "Bay's" top 100 list, with over 20,000 seeders
Achievement Unlocked: "Whoosh"
I could probably live with most of these changes but for the screens. I've been to several different theaters here in San Diego, and I constantly marvel at how poor the picture is. The screens are often too bright with no contrast, or blurry. While sound systems seem to get upgraded every few years on a relentless campaign to deafen moviegoers, the screens and projectors seem oddly neglected. I've seen better film quality in the $1.50 theater in Eugene. There's no quicker way to make me feel swindled than to have to squint at a movie I paid close to $10 to view.
The moon may be smaller than the earth, but it's much farther away!
Second, you can set your client to not download anything but the tiny .NFO file for every torrent, and then share it back. Doing this, you get to watch the IPs connected to the tracker, but never share anything dangerous.
That doesn't work how you think it does. Files are divided into "pieces", which vary in size but are a tradeoff to keep piece size reasonable (~2mb) yet keep total piece count reasonable. (~1000) Too big of a piece size and it takes too long to get each piece. (and too much to redownload if a hash fails) Too many pieces means more tracker overhead and larger .torrent files.
So that .NFO at the front is bundled with perhaps 1.98mb of the start of the next file, in the first piece. There's no way to get (or share) just the .NFO file itself. The torrent pieces are made from a single giant (think TAR) file of the entire torrent. You can see this when you tell your client to download just one specific file. Look at the % complete and you'll notice the file before and after the one you wanted, you have like 2% of. That's because file boundaries rarely match piece boundaries. If you just select the first file, (say its the .NFO) you will download a percentage of the next file also. (you will get all of the first piece) It's totally unavoidable.
(and yes, I wrote a bittorrent client)
I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.