High profile movies starring high profile celebrities tend to earn a lot of money. The high expectation and the eagerness of potential watchers make these movies the main targets for piracy.
Every year, a number of high profile movies - Oscar contenders in particular - leak to the internet around the same time they are released on theaters. They are made available on the internet for anyone to download, and can be found on DVD screeners (screeners are usually intended only for private award screenings.).
But the end of 2019, lots of major movies were leaking. From Frozen 2, to Knives Out, Little Women and Jojo Rabbit which were still in theaters, were leaked to the internet. And in early 2020, the Golden Globe winner 1917 that hits theaters in December joined this list.
1917 is Sam Mendes‘ epic war flick, set during the World War I, and filmed to look as if it is a single take. It stars George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch.
The reviews for 1917 have been great, and at this time, the movie is the number one film in the U.S. and the UK.
For these reasons, the leak makes it a devastating incident for Universal Pictures and everyone involved in its production.
The World War I-themed movie was one of six film releases leaked in a massive screener dump over the past 24 hours, TorrentFreak reported.
This is because Richard Jewell, A Hidden Life, Color Out of Space, Dark Waters, and Queen & Slim were all also made available online.
TorrentFreak noted two separate piracy groups: TOPKEK and Hive-CM8, that leaked the 1917 screeners, adding both releases likely came from different sources as they have different quality and file sizes.
"Seeing this many leaks in the span of a few hours is quite unique. As far as we know, it has never happened before. This certainly makes it newsworthy and may also draw the attention of Hollywood and law enforcement."
Hive-CM8 said that the 1917 had made enough profits so far, and that it could therefore be released out now.
“Gross is doing ok, so it's ready to go,” wrote Hive-CM8.
And as for TOPKEK, it has been already known for it to release pirated movies, but never screeners. Since it has just started leaking screeners, TOPKEK is becoming is one of the driving forces.
Major leaks like these can affect sales and revenue of the movies. With more people capable of watching in all of their glory without visiting the theaters, the movies may have less paying viewers, leading to less money for the studios and everyone involved in its production.
However, researchers from the University of Houston and Western University said that pirated movies can often perform better post-release.
Things were quite different for pre-release leaks, meaning that leaks and piracy don't always translate to bad news for ticket sales.
1917 received ten nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards. The movie received three nominations at the 77th Golden Globe Awards, and won the Best Motion Picture, as well as the Drama and Best Director. It also received eight nominations at the 25th Critics' Choice Awards and nine nominations at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards. It was also chosen by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year.