Piracy Fails To Prevent Another Box Office Record (torrentfreak.com)

An anonymous reader writes: The movie industry has reported global box office records reached $38.4 billion in 2015, up 5% on 2014's total, according to the MPAA's Theatrical Market Statistics report. The U.S. and Canada turned in $11.1 billion with international box office revenues hitting $27.2 billion. "I'm proud to say that the state of our industry has never been stronger," the former U.S. senator, MPAA chairman and CEO Chris Dodd said. "To paraphrase Mark Twain, the death of the movies has been greatly exaggerated," Dodd said. It begs the question whether or not piracy is truly killing the movie business -- the MPAA insists it is. According to Dodd, the box office would be more healthy to the tune of $1.5 billion if piracy could be brought under control. Some possible theories to achieve such a goal would be based off making content more readily available to the consumer. Napster co-found Sean Parker has a Screening Room project which hopes to bring first-run movies into the home via a set-top box. Though it has a trick up its sleeve: Customers prepared to pay the required $50 to watch at home would get two tickets to watch the movie in the cinema, which could either boost or at least maintain box office attendance. The Art House Convergence (AHC) said it "strongly opposes" the plan, warning it would only fuel torrent sites and piracy. National Assosciation of Theatre Owners chief John Fithian said, "More sophisticated window modeling may be needed for the growing success of a modern movie industry."

Comments

landlubbers abound

[Anonymous Coward]

"Some possible theories to achieve such a goal would be based off making content more readily available to the consumer."

Great idea!

"Customers prepared to pay the required $50 to watch at home....."

uh oh, I see more black sails on the horizon...

Re:landlubbers abound

[labnet]

*this*
The MPAA are business idiots.
If the MPAA ran a supermarket, they would say :
Hey, 2% of stuff is STOLEN.... let's put everything in locked glass shelves, then suddenly find out that the 50% reduction in sales (because it is now too inconvenient) dwarfs the now 1% that is being stolen.
Most people don't want to steal, but they do want convenience and a reasonable price.

Re:I'll tell you where the theft is

[Anonymous Coward]

The law says piracy is not theft. All logic and semantics be damned; the law is clear.

Copyright Infringement is illegal, but it is not theft. They are covered under different sections of law, have different enforcement regulations and different penalties.

Discussion over.