The Avengers: Why Pirates Failed To Prevent a Box Office Record

TheGift73 sends this excerpt from TorrentFreak: "Despite the widespread availability of pirated releases, The Avengers just scored a record-breaking $200 million opening weekend at the box office. While some are baffled to see that piracy failed to crush the movie's profits, it's really not that surprising. Claiming a camcorded copy of a movie seriously impacts box office attendance is the same as arguing that concert bootlegs stop people from seeing artists on stage. ... Of all the people who downloaded a pirate copy of the film about 20% came from the U.S. This means that roughly 100,000 Americans have downloaded a copy online through BitTorrent. Now, IF all these people bought a movie ticket instead then box office revenue would be just 0.5% higher. Not much of an impact, and even less when you consider that these 'pirates' do not all count as a lost sale."

Comments

Facts! Don't talk to me about facts!

[M1FCJ]

Please do not try to confuse people with facts and logic. We all know MPIAA knows best. Right? Right?

Re:Facts! Don't talk to me about facts!

[Anonymous Coward]

If you use facts, the terrorists win!

Re:Facts! Don't talk to me about facts!

[rickb928]

You fed it, your problem now. I can send bill to you? Ja?

Re:Facts! Don't talk to me about facts!

[suomynonAyletamitlU]

People who say that never go into why copyright infringement isn't theft. Understand, in the following, that IANAL, and it will show, but I think it's important anyway.

Copyright and sales licenses are agreements between people--none of them me, you'll note--that so-and-so gets to profit from sales of a particular work. So-and-so, being so caught up in the idea that this license is exclusive, creates artificial scarcity and does other kinds of social engineering to drive up prices. They use the legal system--which was created to stop or punish abuses of power--to make sure the license remains exclusive, even though what's happening isn't sales of the work; it's free distribution, in ways that violate the exclusivity clause of the license.

Basically, piracy is "But you said only WE can do that! Make them stop! Mom! He won't stop! Make him stop! I want to be a millionaire! Make him stooooooop!"

Re:Facts! Don't talk to me about facts!

[user flynn]

And no, pirates are not "stealing the profit from the lost sales".

But they are stealing the power over others that copyright holders have.

    And we all know the slippery slope: one day a copyright holder will be treated the same as your average working Joe! They might actually have to live similar lifestyles and work as hard as someone who lives paycheck to paycheck.

    So we really need to prevent copyright holders from loosing their power over others, otherwise they might have to put as much into society as they take out....

Hollywood Multiplier

[SJHillman]

You forgot to apply the Hollywood Multiplier. Each of those pirates would actually watch the movie at least 800 times apiece. In 3D. And buy tons of merchandise. If only the option to download it outside of the system wasn't available. So it's actually a 400% loss, not a *potential* 0.5% loss.

Yar

[Anonymous Coward]

Yar. Though we be pirates brave and true, our great guns and carronades only reach about 1 mile inland - and that be with good harborage. Thar be no way we can conduct the required cannonades to plundar all movie theatres for thar treasure chests of delicious popcorn with non-dairy liquid.

Re:How can you quantify the loss?

[internerdj]

I'd suggest those who wonder why people aren't visiting the theaters have not yet had "the full cinematic experience."

But without pirate

[geekoid]

the movie would have made 14 bajillion dollars!!!

Re:How can you quantify the loss?

[g0bshiTe]

I have, it involved latex gloves, lube, and no post-coital cuddle.

Re:Why I go to the Cinema

[mjr167]

I have a a small child I would be willing to rent out. She would be quite happy to throw popcorn at you and ask silly questions randomly during key dialog.

Re:How can you quantify the loss?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't go to theaters often, but this is the first I've heard of TSA screening before the movie starts.

Re:They still don't get it.

[Daniel Dvorkin]

You must have needed a whole truckload of straw for that man you just built and then demolished. Good job! Let us know if you need any help cleaning up.

Re:How can you quantify the loss?

[ColdWetDog]

Look, this is important to us.

We have to be first at something you know. Show a little love.

Re:Pirated and still paid for tickets

[justinlindh]

That logic falls apart when you consider that the last Twilight movie made $300.5M at the box office.