From: imdb.com
Without citing a source for his information, News Corp. President and COO Peter Chernin claimed on Wednesday that the pirated workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine that hit the Internet in late March has now been downloaded some 4 million times. Chernin's comments came during a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's quarterly results -- and flew in the face of other estimates that the pirated movie, produced by News Corp's 20th Century Fox studio, had been downloaded about 1 million times. Piracy, Chernin said, has become "as big an act of industrial espionage, industrial sabotage, as we have seen in terms of its economic impact."
Showing posts with label piracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label piracy. Show all posts
Friday, 8 May 2009
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
Scott Mendelson: HuffPost Weekend Box Office Rundown: Wolverine Proves Mighter Than Piracy, Swine Flu, and Mediocrity!
Scott Mendelson: HuffPost Weekend Box Office Rundown: Wolverine Proves Mighter Than Piracy, Swine Flu, and Mediocrity!
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Overpowering a month-early leak of the work print, theoretical fears of swine flu, and some of the worst buzz of any summer film not named G.I. Joe or Year One, X-Men Origins: Wolverine powered its way to a terrific $85.05 million opening weekend. The film opened to $35 million on Friday, which included $5 million in midnight screenings. So, if you count the midnight screenings as part of the Friday total (as we always do here, since the studio made the choice to hold said midnight engagements), that gives the picture a decent 2.4x opening day-to-weekend multiplier. For comparison, last year's big summer kick-off picture, Iron Man, opened to $102 million with midnight screenings, giving the picture a 2.6x.
So, amazingly enough, not only did the film score a boffo opening day, it actually didn't completely collapse over the weekend. To be fair, I am biased, believing the film to be stunningly not entertaining, but this would-be fourth X-Men picture actually had a comparable multiplier with the previous X-Men pictures. For comparison, X-Men: The Last Stand had a three-day multiplier of 2.3x (to be fair, it opened on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, so it had an extra holiday Monday to take in movie goers). X2: X-Men United opened at 31/85, giving it a 2.74x. And the original X-Men ($20 million opening day/$54 million opening weekend), had a 2.62x.
So, the good news is that Hugh Jackman and company weathered an unimaginable storm of bad luck to score a weekend knockout anyway. It is the 8th biggest opening weekend for a comic book adaptation. It is the nineteenth biggest opening weekend of all time, becoming the astounding 21st film to open to over $80 million (all since November, 2001). Remember that pointless figure for 'third biggest opening weekend for a fourth in a series'? Yeah, Wolverine just blew past Fast & Furious to claim that pointless touchstone. Oh, and Wolverine now has the biggest opening weekend of 2009.
Is there bad news? Perhaps. In a marketplace that seems more and more front-loaded, we have now seen almost a year since a film crossed the $200 million mark (that would be The Dark Knight back in July, 2008). In that time, we have seen six $50 million+ openings that have failed to even reach $200 million. Twilight, Quantum of Solace, Madagascar 2, Watchmen, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Fast & Furious... four of those titles opened well north of $60 million. The closest was Twilight, which opened to $69 million and ended up at $191 million. Monsters and Aliens is now at $185 million and has two weeks to get there before Night at the Museum 2 effectively kills it (and 'MvA' will lose many of its IMAX screens to Star Trek this weekend). Point being, $200 million is not guaranteed, especially with this particularly short-term franchise.
Quite frankly, X-Men pictures has the worst legs of any major franchise. The first film, despite getting solid reviews and decent word of mouth from fans and casual moviegoers, still barely made 2.88x its opening weekend. It opened with $54 million and ended with $157 million. And, despite rave reviews, rapturous response from moviegoers, and being considered one of the best comic book movies ever made, X2 opened with $85 million and closed with just $215 million, a downright pathetic 2.5x weekend to total multiplier. As for the 'Last Stand'? That critical and word of mouth turkey opened with a spectacular $122 million in four days (Memorial Day weekend, natch). It closed with just $235 million. If we take the four day number, it gives X-Men: The Last Stand a shockingly poor 1.9x w2t multiplier. But lets play fair and take the three day Fri-Sun portion. Factoring in just the $105 million three-day number still gives the third X-Men picture a poor 2.2x.
So, if we play best case scenario and give Wolverine 'legs' on par with the first X-Men picture, that gives it a super-solid $245 million. Not gonna happen, but let's pretend. Anyway, an identical performance to X2 gives it $215 million, same as X2. If Wolverine gets hit by word of mouth, stiff competition from the allegedly fantastic Star Trek, genre competion from Terminator: Salvation, and, yes, that bootleg, it could see a quick and brutal collapse (do you think anyone who has the bootleg but still saw it in theaters this weekend is going to spend the time and money for a repeat viewing at a threater?). I'm not saying it's going to be Watchmen-terrible (that one opened to $55 million and closed with $108 million... a terrifying 1.96x weekend-to-total multiplier), but a similar to X-Men: The Last Stand 2.2x performance would bring about a domestic total of $187 million. Nothing to sneeze at, but its not a total that gets X-Men Origins: Magneto or X-Men Origins: Gambit greenlit.
As always, next Friday's numbers will tell the tale. Once again, the culprit is budget versus plausible expectations. Had Fox kept the budget close to the announced $90 million, this would have been a grand slam home run no matter how well it held up. But alleged reshoots and other behind the scenes turmoil ballooned this thing well past the budgets for X-Men and X2. I've said this quite a bit, but at some point studios have to stop budgeting every major franchise picture at such a high cost that they MUST break records to even make their money back.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past opened to a mildly underwhelming $15.4 million, which is about what the less-star powered Made Of Honor grossed ($14.7 million) against Iron Man's much larger opening weekend (compared to Wolverine) last year. I guess Patrick Dempsey is a bigger rom-com draw than Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. The Battle For Terra, an ambitious 3D animated sci-fi action film about benevolent aliens and murderous, imperialist humans, completely tanked with just $1 million on 1100 screens. Looks like Lionsgate's hot streak is officially over. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (9/11/09) and Saw VI (10/23/09) cannot come soon enough.
Other news? Well, Paramount is now a little nervous, as Star Trek once again sits in the unenviable slot of being the 'second big film of summer', a place that has housed mega flops (Speed Racer, Poseidon), mid-budget performers (Monster In Law, The Horse Whisperer), and an overbudget domestic dissapointment that was saved by overseas muscle (Troy). Since 1995, when Die Hard: With A Vengeance overpowered Crimson Tide in the second weekend of summer, only a single film (Troy - summer 2004) has opened to number one as the second big flick of summer. While Star Trek certainly has the buzz and the reviews to theoretically break the curse, there is no guarantee that non-geeks will show up to sample the updated version of that nerdiest of sci-fi staples (no offense intended, I'm a geek too). Paramount has made not one false move with the advertising campaign since November, so now it's up to fate.
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Overpowering a month-early leak of the work print, theoretical fears of swine flu, and some of the worst buzz of any summer film not named G.I. Joe or Year One, X-Men Origins: Wolverine powered its way to a terrific $85.05 million opening weekend. The film opened to $35 million on Friday, which included $5 million in midnight screenings. So, if you count the midnight screenings as part of the Friday total (as we always do here, since the studio made the choice to hold said midnight engagements), that gives the picture a decent 2.4x opening day-to-weekend multiplier. For comparison, last year's big summer kick-off picture, Iron Man, opened to $102 million with midnight screenings, giving the picture a 2.6x.
So, amazingly enough, not only did the film score a boffo opening day, it actually didn't completely collapse over the weekend. To be fair, I am biased, believing the film to be stunningly not entertaining, but this would-be fourth X-Men picture actually had a comparable multiplier with the previous X-Men pictures. For comparison, X-Men: The Last Stand had a three-day multiplier of 2.3x (to be fair, it opened on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, so it had an extra holiday Monday to take in movie goers). X2: X-Men United opened at 31/85, giving it a 2.74x. And the original X-Men ($20 million opening day/$54 million opening weekend), had a 2.62x.
So, the good news is that Hugh Jackman and company weathered an unimaginable storm of bad luck to score a weekend knockout anyway. It is the 8th biggest opening weekend for a comic book adaptation. It is the nineteenth biggest opening weekend of all time, becoming the astounding 21st film to open to over $80 million (all since November, 2001). Remember that pointless figure for 'third biggest opening weekend for a fourth in a series'? Yeah, Wolverine just blew past Fast & Furious to claim that pointless touchstone. Oh, and Wolverine now has the biggest opening weekend of 2009.
Is there bad news? Perhaps. In a marketplace that seems more and more front-loaded, we have now seen almost a year since a film crossed the $200 million mark (that would be The Dark Knight back in July, 2008). In that time, we have seen six $50 million+ openings that have failed to even reach $200 million. Twilight, Quantum of Solace, Madagascar 2, Watchmen, Monsters Vs. Aliens, Fast & Furious... four of those titles opened well north of $60 million. The closest was Twilight, which opened to $69 million and ended up at $191 million. Monsters and Aliens is now at $185 million and has two weeks to get there before Night at the Museum 2 effectively kills it (and 'MvA' will lose many of its IMAX screens to Star Trek this weekend). Point being, $200 million is not guaranteed, especially with this particularly short-term franchise.
Quite frankly, X-Men pictures has the worst legs of any major franchise. The first film, despite getting solid reviews and decent word of mouth from fans and casual moviegoers, still barely made 2.88x its opening weekend. It opened with $54 million and ended with $157 million. And, despite rave reviews, rapturous response from moviegoers, and being considered one of the best comic book movies ever made, X2 opened with $85 million and closed with just $215 million, a downright pathetic 2.5x weekend to total multiplier. As for the 'Last Stand'? That critical and word of mouth turkey opened with a spectacular $122 million in four days (Memorial Day weekend, natch). It closed with just $235 million. If we take the four day number, it gives X-Men: The Last Stand a shockingly poor 1.9x w2t multiplier. But lets play fair and take the three day Fri-Sun portion. Factoring in just the $105 million three-day number still gives the third X-Men picture a poor 2.2x.
So, if we play best case scenario and give Wolverine 'legs' on par with the first X-Men picture, that gives it a super-solid $245 million. Not gonna happen, but let's pretend. Anyway, an identical performance to X2 gives it $215 million, same as X2. If Wolverine gets hit by word of mouth, stiff competition from the allegedly fantastic Star Trek, genre competion from Terminator: Salvation, and, yes, that bootleg, it could see a quick and brutal collapse (do you think anyone who has the bootleg but still saw it in theaters this weekend is going to spend the time and money for a repeat viewing at a threater?). I'm not saying it's going to be Watchmen-terrible (that one opened to $55 million and closed with $108 million... a terrifying 1.96x weekend-to-total multiplier), but a similar to X-Men: The Last Stand 2.2x performance would bring about a domestic total of $187 million. Nothing to sneeze at, but its not a total that gets X-Men Origins: Magneto or X-Men Origins: Gambit greenlit.
As always, next Friday's numbers will tell the tale. Once again, the culprit is budget versus plausible expectations. Had Fox kept the budget close to the announced $90 million, this would have been a grand slam home run no matter how well it held up. But alleged reshoots and other behind the scenes turmoil ballooned this thing well past the budgets for X-Men and X2. I've said this quite a bit, but at some point studios have to stop budgeting every major franchise picture at such a high cost that they MUST break records to even make their money back.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past opened to a mildly underwhelming $15.4 million, which is about what the less-star powered Made Of Honor grossed ($14.7 million) against Iron Man's much larger opening weekend (compared to Wolverine) last year. I guess Patrick Dempsey is a bigger rom-com draw than Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner. The Battle For Terra, an ambitious 3D animated sci-fi action film about benevolent aliens and murderous, imperialist humans, completely tanked with just $1 million on 1100 screens. Looks like Lionsgate's hot streak is officially over. Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself (9/11/09) and Saw VI (10/23/09) cannot come soon enough.
Other news? Well, Paramount is now a little nervous, as Star Trek once again sits in the unenviable slot of being the 'second big film of summer', a place that has housed mega flops (Speed Racer, Poseidon), mid-budget performers (Monster In Law, The Horse Whisperer), and an overbudget domestic dissapointment that was saved by overseas muscle (Troy). Since 1995, when Die Hard: With A Vengeance overpowered Crimson Tide in the second weekend of summer, only a single film (Troy - summer 2004) has opened to number one as the second big flick of summer. While Star Trek certainly has the buzz and the reviews to theoretically break the curse, there is no guarantee that non-geeks will show up to sample the updated version of that nerdiest of sci-fi staples (no offense intended, I'm a geek too). Paramount has made not one false move with the advertising campaign since November, so now it's up to fate.
Friday, 1 May 2009
Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC: Public Service Announcement
A Public Service Announcement. (Mac/PC Marvel/DC Review/Parody)
Saturday, 25 April 2009
Wolverine Combats Piracy By Becoming Clue
Wolverine Combats Piracy By Becoming Clue
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Fox has come up with a new way to combat the pirating of Wolverine: They’re turning it into Clue. Director Gavin Hood recently announced at a screening attended by First Showing that they’ve hidden multiple endings to the movie on different prints. So where you see it, may drastically alter exactly how the movie ends.
Secret endings after the credits is nothing new, that’s become a staple in Marvel’s superhero films for instance. Multiple endings though, is significantly more drastic. There’s a reason it hasn’t been tried in a long time. It’s not like it worked all that well for Clue which, while regarded as a cult classic now, at the time was kind of a flop. At least with Clue it was warranted. It’s a mystery movie after all, based on a board game which had multiple endings. The multiple endings bit was part of the whole experience, this is just a blatant gimmick.
Still, for fans who may have illegally pirated the movie on their computer, it’s one more reason to shell out money at a movie theater, more than once if Fox has their druthers. I still say Fox is overreacting. Most people who pirate movies don’t buy movie tickets anyway. With or without gimmicks I don’t see piracy having much of an impact on Wolverine’s box office. At least now Fox has a built in excuse if it fails. They can’t lose.
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Fox has come up with a new way to combat the pirating of Wolverine: They’re turning it into Clue. Director Gavin Hood recently announced at a screening attended by First Showing that they’ve hidden multiple endings to the movie on different prints. So where you see it, may drastically alter exactly how the movie ends.
Secret endings after the credits is nothing new, that’s become a staple in Marvel’s superhero films for instance. Multiple endings though, is significantly more drastic. There’s a reason it hasn’t been tried in a long time. It’s not like it worked all that well for Clue which, while regarded as a cult classic now, at the time was kind of a flop. At least with Clue it was warranted. It’s a mystery movie after all, based on a board game which had multiple endings. The multiple endings bit was part of the whole experience, this is just a blatant gimmick.
Still, for fans who may have illegally pirated the movie on their computer, it’s one more reason to shell out money at a movie theater, more than once if Fox has their druthers. I still say Fox is overreacting. Most people who pirate movies don’t buy movie tickets anyway. With or without gimmicks I don’t see piracy having much of an impact on Wolverine’s box office. At least now Fox has a built in excuse if it fails. They can’t lose.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
"Wolverine" Outselling "Iron Man" in Advance Ticket Sales
From: WorstPreviews.com
While many people are looking forward to seeing "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," there is no denying the fact that the recent leak might hurt the film's box office results.
It was recently reported that the film is tracking extremely well among key demographic groups and most of the people that have already downloaded the film are claiming that they will see it on the big screen or on DVD/Blu-ray. So which one is it, will the film suffer or will it not be impacted by the leak?
Online ticketer MovieTickets is now reporting that its advance sales for "Wolverine" are outpacing those for "Iron Man," by three to one. "Iron Man" was released last year in early May, and went on to bring in over $100 million during its opening weekend.
While many people are looking forward to seeing "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," there is no denying the fact that the recent leak might hurt the film's box office results.
It was recently reported that the film is tracking extremely well among key demographic groups and most of the people that have already downloaded the film are claiming that they will see it on the big screen or on DVD/Blu-ray. So which one is it, will the film suffer or will it not be impacted by the leak?
Online ticketer MovieTickets is now reporting that its advance sales for "Wolverine" are outpacing those for "Iron Man," by three to one. "Iron Man" was released last year in early May, and went on to bring in over $100 million during its opening weekend.
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
Wolverine: Running Time Controversy and New Internet Trailer
From: SlashFilm.com
Written by: Peter Sciretta
20th Century Fox has released a new internet-only trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Apple (click on the “exclusive clip”). The film finally hits theaters next week. I’m not quite sure the point of the new edit, as it doesn’t seem to offer much that wasn’t shown in previous trailers/television spots. It’s very possible that the trailer was an alternative cut of the previous trailer, and that Fox decided to release it online to further combat the piracy of the leaked workprint.
Speaking of which, when the movie showed up online, Fox head Tom Rothman told Entertainment Weekly that “the version that went out” was “about 10 minutes shorter, doesn’t have key scenes, it wasn’t edited, and none of the effects shots were in any remotely final form.” The Huffington Post noticed that both the leaked “unfinished” workprint and the final cut have the same running time of 107 minutes. How could this be? Did Rothman lie? Or does the theatrical cut actually feature ten minutes of “key scenes” not in the early cut?
Movieline ’s sources claim that “cuts had been made to the leaked workprint before the additional footage was added, which resulted in a similar running time.” I’m sure we’ll find out exactly how much different the theatrical cut is early next week.
Written by: Peter Sciretta
20th Century Fox has released a new internet-only trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine on Apple (click on the “exclusive clip”). The film finally hits theaters next week. I’m not quite sure the point of the new edit, as it doesn’t seem to offer much that wasn’t shown in previous trailers/television spots. It’s very possible that the trailer was an alternative cut of the previous trailer, and that Fox decided to release it online to further combat the piracy of the leaked workprint.
Speaking of which, when the movie showed up online, Fox head Tom Rothman told Entertainment Weekly that “the version that went out” was “about 10 minutes shorter, doesn’t have key scenes, it wasn’t edited, and none of the effects shots were in any remotely final form.” The Huffington Post noticed that both the leaked “unfinished” workprint and the final cut have the same running time of 107 minutes. How could this be? Did Rothman lie? Or does the theatrical cut actually feature ten minutes of “key scenes” not in the early cut?
Movieline ’s sources claim that “cuts had been made to the leaked workprint before the additional footage was added, which resulted in a similar running time.” I’m sure we’ll find out exactly how much different the theatrical cut is early next week.
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
Fox Predicting Big Numbers for "Wolverine"
From: WorstPreviews.com
It was recently announced that a leaked copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has already been downloaded over a million times, which could mean a loss of millions of dollars at the box office for 20th Century Fox. Not quite.
It turns out that "Wolverine" is tracking incredibly well among young men and guys ages 31 and older, the two key demographics needed to boost the opening weekend numbers. That makes the movie the No. 1 choice among males in those groups.
We will have to wait until May 1st to see how the film does, but at this point, Fox is very optimistic. One executive said that it is too early to predict the opening numbers, but they're sure to be huge. "Wolverine is in fabulous shape," he added.
It was recently announced that a leaked copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" has already been downloaded over a million times, which could mean a loss of millions of dollars at the box office for 20th Century Fox. Not quite.
It turns out that "Wolverine" is tracking incredibly well among young men and guys ages 31 and older, the two key demographics needed to boost the opening weekend numbers. That makes the movie the No. 1 choice among males in those groups.
We will have to wait until May 1st to see how the film does, but at this point, Fox is very optimistic. One executive said that it is too early to predict the opening numbers, but they're sure to be huge. "Wolverine is in fabulous shape," he added.
Hidden Surprises Promised for 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'
From: AceShowbiz.com
Despite the fact that the unfinished copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" final cut has made its rounds earlier, director Gavin Hood insisted that the pirated version hasn't contained everything. In a recent interview with Wizard magazine, the 45-year-old filmmaker revealed that there are still plenty of hidden surprises in store.
"Don't leave before the credits are over," the "Rendition" helmer explained of where to seek the surprises. "Now I say that and I better not be in trouble, because you do realize that I'm not done with the editing process and the studio still has to sign off on everything. But, yes, Hugh [Jackman] and I have a couple Easter eggs somewhere in there."
Back on April 1, reports were surfacing that a workprint version of "Wolverine" has been leaked and available for download on several bittorrent sites since Tuesday, March 31. Soon after, 20th Century Fox came up with a statement confirming the story as well as revealing their intention to pursue the source of the initial leak.
Taking the focus of the story on the metal-clawed mutant Wolverine, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" serves as a prequel to the "X-Men" trilogy. It chronicles the violent and romantic early life of the titular character, including his participation on the Weapon X program and his complex relationship with Victor Creed.
The action fantasy stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Danny Huston as William Stryker among others. Penned by David Benioff, it has been set to open in U.S. theaters on May 1.
Despite the fact that the unfinished copy of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" final cut has made its rounds earlier, director Gavin Hood insisted that the pirated version hasn't contained everything. In a recent interview with Wizard magazine, the 45-year-old filmmaker revealed that there are still plenty of hidden surprises in store.
"Don't leave before the credits are over," the "Rendition" helmer explained of where to seek the surprises. "Now I say that and I better not be in trouble, because you do realize that I'm not done with the editing process and the studio still has to sign off on everything. But, yes, Hugh [Jackman] and I have a couple Easter eggs somewhere in there."
Back on April 1, reports were surfacing that a workprint version of "Wolverine" has been leaked and available for download on several bittorrent sites since Tuesday, March 31. Soon after, 20th Century Fox came up with a statement confirming the story as well as revealing their intention to pursue the source of the initial leak.
Taking the focus of the story on the metal-clawed mutant Wolverine, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" serves as a prequel to the "X-Men" trilogy. It chronicles the violent and romantic early life of the titular character, including his participation on the Weapon X program and his complex relationship with Victor Creed.
The action fantasy stars Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Liev Schreiber as Sabretooth, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Danny Huston as William Stryker among others. Penned by David Benioff, it has been set to open in U.S. theaters on May 1.
Monday, 13 April 2009
MPAA is Coming After BitTorrent Users
From: WorstPreviews.com
Ever since "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaked online, 20th Century Fox, the FBI and the MPAA started a manhunt for the person responsible for stealing a copy of the yet to be released film.
Since "Wolverine" is shared through BitTorrent sites, the MPAA has been doing everything in its power to obtain private emails of TorrentSpy and The Pirate Bay, in order to dig up dirt on their owners and users.
One way the organization has been doing this is by hiring a hacker back in 2005, who has previously configured the TorrentSpy mail server to copy and forward all of the site's emails to his own Gmail account. The 34 pages of information he gathered was then sold to the MPAA for $15,000. TorrentSpy's owner later sued the MPAA, arguing that they had spied on him illegally, but he ended up losing the case.
The court ruled that the MPAA did not technically intercept them under the WireTap Act, but TorrentSpy is calling the decision a "dangerous attempt to circumvent privacy laws." If the ruling is upheld, it will basically legalize the unauthorized copying of other people's emails, which raises serious privacy concerns.
TorrentSpy has now filed a brief at the Court of Appeals and that the MPAA is expected to do the same in the near future. From then on it can take up to a year before the appeal is heard in court.
The point of this story is that if the law sides with the MPAA, everyone who has downloaded a copy of "Wolverine" or uses sharing sites could be at risk.
Ever since "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" leaked online, 20th Century Fox, the FBI and the MPAA started a manhunt for the person responsible for stealing a copy of the yet to be released film.
Since "Wolverine" is shared through BitTorrent sites, the MPAA has been doing everything in its power to obtain private emails of TorrentSpy and The Pirate Bay, in order to dig up dirt on their owners and users.
One way the organization has been doing this is by hiring a hacker back in 2005, who has previously configured the TorrentSpy mail server to copy and forward all of the site's emails to his own Gmail account. The 34 pages of information he gathered was then sold to the MPAA for $15,000. TorrentSpy's owner later sued the MPAA, arguing that they had spied on him illegally, but he ended up losing the case.
The court ruled that the MPAA did not technically intercept them under the WireTap Act, but TorrentSpy is calling the decision a "dangerous attempt to circumvent privacy laws." If the ruling is upheld, it will basically legalize the unauthorized copying of other people's emails, which raises serious privacy concerns.
TorrentSpy has now filed a brief at the Court of Appeals and that the MPAA is expected to do the same in the near future. From then on it can take up to a year before the appeal is heard in court.
The point of this story is that if the law sides with the MPAA, everyone who has downloaded a copy of "Wolverine" or uses sharing sites could be at risk.
Thursday, 9 April 2009
Hugh Jackman Condemns Wolverine Leak; Buzz Still Strong
From: FirstShowing.net
As unfortunate as the X-Men Origins: Wolverine leak was, it has created a bit more buzz, at least in theory (we have yet to see how well it'll do on opening weekend). Take these results from a recent MovieTickets.com poll: 70% of male ticket buyers polled, and 60% of female ticket buyers, intend to see Wolverine on opening weekend. Additionally, 3 of the 5 age groups polled (Under-24, 25-34, 35-44) list Wolverine as the No. 1 next film they intend to see in theaters. Of course, because it's the first big summer movie opening on May 1st, this could all just be natural, but this is a good sign it'll still do well, I think.
At a recent press event held in Syndey, Australia to kick off the worldwide press tour (via Reuters), Wolverine star Hugh Jackman condemned the leak, saying, "It's a serious crime, and there's no doubt it's very disappointing — I was heartbroken by it." Jackman, who really is the perfect Logan, has been championing this project and the character for a long time, even appearing at Comic-Con last year to debut footage and give his thanks to Wolverine creator Len Wein. "Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job." Let's just hope it's an unfinished Ferrari, not an unfinished jalopy.
[MORE]
Wednesday, 8 April 2009
Tidbits
Topless Robot has been posting abit about X-Men Origins: Wolverine and other X-Men related things. Follow the links to the stories.
Hugh Jackman "Heartbroken" about Wolverine Leak
From: ReelzChannel.com
In the wake of the April Fool's Day Internet leak of an unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox called the FBI to hunt down the person responsible for the leak, sibling company Fox News fired a columnist who wrote a glowing review of the pirated movie, and now, Hugh Jackman has publicly condemned the leak.
On a promotional tour for Wolverine in his native Australia, Jackman showed 20 minutes of footage from the movie and spoke out about the pirated version.
It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing -- I was heartbroken by it. Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job.
Fox has a lot riding on Wolverine's success. Three potential movies - X-Men Origins: Magneto, X-Men: First Class and Deadpool - will live or die if Wolverine dies at the box office, not to mention other Wolverine sequels. Considering the almost one million downloads of the unfinished version, Fox is justifiably nervous.
You can read the full interview right here.
In the wake of the April Fool's Day Internet leak of an unfinished version of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Fox called the FBI to hunt down the person responsible for the leak, sibling company Fox News fired a columnist who wrote a glowing review of the pirated movie, and now, Hugh Jackman has publicly condemned the leak.
On a promotional tour for Wolverine in his native Australia, Jackman showed 20 minutes of footage from the movie and spoke out about the pirated version.
It's a serious crime and there's no doubt it's very disappointing -- I was heartbroken by it. Obviously people are seeing an unfinished film. It's like a Ferrari without a paint job.
Fox has a lot riding on Wolverine's success. Three potential movies - X-Men Origins: Magneto, X-Men: First Class and Deadpool - will live or die if Wolverine dies at the box office, not to mention other Wolverine sequels. Considering the almost one million downloads of the unfinished version, Fox is justifiably nervous.
You can read the full interview right here.
U.S. Lawmakers Call Meeting Over X-Men Leak
From: IMDB.com
Hollywood bosses are fighting to toughen antipiracy laws after a stolen version of Hugh Jackman's new movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine was leaked online.
Executives at 20th Century Fox studios were furious when a full-length print of X-Men Origins: Wolverine began appearing illegally on websites last Tuesday night.
The incident prompted California Representative Howard Berman to call a congressional hearing on Monday.
At the meeting Berman called on legislators and Hollywood heavyweights to discuss introducing bills aimed to make antipiracy laws more rigid between the U.S. and countries where protection of intellectual property is less strict.
He said, "The United States and its trading partners rely heavily on investments in intellectual property to drive our economies. Unfortunately, the incentives and profits for engaging in piracy are high, and the risks of being apprehended and sanctioned are low in many countries around the world. Piracy of copyrighted materials is not a victimless crime, and its global repercussions must be addressed.
FoxNews.Com's Friedman Fired -- Er, Parts Ways
From: IMDB.com
By downloading and reviewing the pirated workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Roger Friedman has lost his job as entertainment columnist for FoxNews.com. After issuing ambiguous statements concerning Friedman's status with the company, Fox News issued a statement Monday afternoon saying that it had met with Friedman earlier in the day and that they had "mutually agreed to part ways immediately." The statement made no mention of the controversy surrounding Friedman's review of the movie ("it exceeds expectations at every turn") or his seemingly tacit approval of online piracy. ("so much easier than going out in the rain"). Earlier, 20th Century Fox, while noting that Fox News is a separate entity within the News Corp family, had condemned the columnist's decision to download the film "whether the review is good or bad." At the Los Angeles Times website, entertainment writer Geoff Boucher commented, "The review was an audacious thing to do (or maybe just stupid) considering that 20th Century Fox, a corporate relative, had gone to the FBI to fight back against the theft and mass piracy."
By downloading and reviewing the pirated workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Roger Friedman has lost his job as entertainment columnist for FoxNews.com. After issuing ambiguous statements concerning Friedman's status with the company, Fox News issued a statement Monday afternoon saying that it had met with Friedman earlier in the day and that they had "mutually agreed to part ways immediately." The statement made no mention of the controversy surrounding Friedman's review of the movie ("it exceeds expectations at every turn") or his seemingly tacit approval of online piracy. ("so much easier than going out in the rain"). Earlier, 20th Century Fox, while noting that Fox News is a separate entity within the News Corp family, had condemned the columnist's decision to download the film "whether the review is good or bad." At the Los Angeles Times website, entertainment writer Geoff Boucher commented, "The review was an audacious thing to do (or maybe just stupid) considering that 20th Century Fox, a corporate relative, had gone to the FBI to fight back against the theft and mass piracy."
X-Men Origins Most Pirated Film
From: IMDB.com
A pirated workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine that became available online last week has already been accessed more than a million times by BitTorrent users, according to the website TorrentFreak. It currently tops The Pirate Bay's list of the most popular downloads on torrent sites. TorrentFreak indicates that efforts by the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, to halt the proliferation of the pirated film have been futile -- that no sooner does a torrent site take down a link to a copy of the film in accordance with a notice from the studio than new ones appear. TorrentFreak said that a poll it took of its readers indicated that, among those who downloaded the movie, some 40 percent said that it made them more excited to see it in theaters or on DVD and that only 6 percent said that they believe the pirated copy would be damaging.
A pirated workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine that became available online last week has already been accessed more than a million times by BitTorrent users, according to the website TorrentFreak. It currently tops The Pirate Bay's list of the most popular downloads on torrent sites. TorrentFreak indicates that efforts by the film's distributor, 20th Century Fox, to halt the proliferation of the pirated film have been futile -- that no sooner does a torrent site take down a link to a copy of the film in accordance with a notice from the studio than new ones appear. TorrentFreak said that a poll it took of its readers indicated that, among those who downloaded the movie, some 40 percent said that it made them more excited to see it in theaters or on DVD and that only 6 percent said that they believe the pirated copy would be damaging.
Sunday, 5 April 2009
"Wolverine" Leaked as a F*ck You to Fox?
From: WorstPreviews.com
By now everyone knows that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was leaked online and 20th Century Fox is now frantically trying to find the person responsible. Thousands of people have already downloaded an illegal copy and don't feel bad about it due to their disdain for the studio. In fact, many are happy that it happened.
HollywoodElsewhere is reporting that the person who leaked the film online might have done so to show his hatred for 20th Century Fox and Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman/CEO of NewsCorp which owns the studio.
A contact at 20th Century Fox revealed that days before "Wolverine" appeared online, "Rupert Murdoch received a package at his New York office that contained a DVD copy of the leaked Wolverine."
The sourced added that "most people involved are considering the delivery a big 'eff you' to Murdoch and Fox."
This story is getting better and better. Maybe Fox should make a movie out of this, but first ruin it and then have it stolen and leaked.
By now everyone knows that "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" was leaked online and 20th Century Fox is now frantically trying to find the person responsible. Thousands of people have already downloaded an illegal copy and don't feel bad about it due to their disdain for the studio. In fact, many are happy that it happened.
HollywoodElsewhere is reporting that the person who leaked the film online might have done so to show his hatred for 20th Century Fox and Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman/CEO of NewsCorp which owns the studio.
A contact at 20th Century Fox revealed that days before "Wolverine" appeared online, "Rupert Murdoch received a package at his New York office that contained a DVD copy of the leaked Wolverine."
The sourced added that "most people involved are considering the delivery a big 'eff you' to Murdoch and Fox."
This story is getting better and better. Maybe Fox should make a movie out of this, but first ruin it and then have it stolen and leaked.
Saturday, 4 April 2009
FOXNews.com - Wolverine's Big Surprises: Some Revealed - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
Roger Friedman's review of X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
FOXNews.com - Wolverine's Big Surprises: Some Revealed - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
Posted using ShareThis
FOXNews.com - Wolverine's Big Surprises: Some Revealed - Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment
Posted using ShareThis
How is Fox News’ Roger Friedman Not Fined for Reviewing Wolverine?
From: RopeofSilicon.com
Earlier today on my Twitter account I wrote, “I am confused as to how people can download Wolverine, review it and not be prosecuted as thieves. Am I missing something here?” This comment was in response to the fact Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com wrote up a piece headlined “Wolverine’s Big Surprises: Some Revealed”.
Clicking over to the site now all you get is an article about the series finale of the CBS soap “Guiding Light”, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet and Google’s caching system we can all see proof this actually happened. The piece begins:
Yes, I’ve seen “X Men Origins: Wolverine.” It wasn’t at a screening, either. I found a work in progress print of it, 95 percent completed, on the internet last night. Let’s hope by now it’s gone.
Obviously I have no idea how Friedman obtained his copy of Wolverine and I am not a lawyer so I don’t know if there is a difference between downloading a torrent file of a bootlegged movie to your computer or streaming it directly in your browser (even though some streams are downloaded to your computer as well). Perhaps Friedman shouldn’t be fined or prosecuted as a thief for watching Wolverine, but considering he has just admitted to somehow obtaining a copy I would think an investigation should be in order.
[MORE]
FoxNews Illegally Downloads "Wolverine" and Reviews It
From: WorstPreviews.com
20th Century Fox is working alongside the MPAA and the FBI to track down the person responsible for leaking an early cut of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which could potentially cost the studio millions.
So while the search continues, FoxNews' reporter Roger Friedman downloaded himself a copy and reviewed the film on the FoxNews.com website. Here is an excerpt:
"Right now, my 'cousins' at 20th Century Fox are probably having apoplexy. I doubt anyone else has seen this film. But everyone can relax. I am, in fact, amazed about how great 'Wolverine' turned out. It exceeds expectations at every turn. I was completely riveted to my desk chair in front of my computer."
So according to Friedman, 20th Century Fox has nothing to worry about since he thinks it's a good movie. Too bad Fox doesn't feel the same way. The studio released the following statement:
"We've just been made aware that Roger Friedman, a free-lance columnist who writes Fox 411 on Foxnews.com — an entirely separate company from 20th Century Fox — watched on the Internet and reviewed a stolen and unfinished version of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.' This behavior is reprehensible, and we condemn this act categorically — whether the review is good or bad."
20th Century Fox has taken down Friedman's review. There is currently no word on whether he will end up losing his job over this or get sued.
20th Century Fox is working alongside the MPAA and the FBI to track down the person responsible for leaking an early cut of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which could potentially cost the studio millions.
So while the search continues, FoxNews' reporter Roger Friedman downloaded himself a copy and reviewed the film on the FoxNews.com website. Here is an excerpt:
"Right now, my 'cousins' at 20th Century Fox are probably having apoplexy. I doubt anyone else has seen this film. But everyone can relax. I am, in fact, amazed about how great 'Wolverine' turned out. It exceeds expectations at every turn. I was completely riveted to my desk chair in front of my computer."
So according to Friedman, 20th Century Fox has nothing to worry about since he thinks it's a good movie. Too bad Fox doesn't feel the same way. The studio released the following statement:
"We've just been made aware that Roger Friedman, a free-lance columnist who writes Fox 411 on Foxnews.com — an entirely separate company from 20th Century Fox — watched on the Internet and reviewed a stolen and unfinished version of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine.' This behavior is reprehensible, and we condemn this act categorically — whether the review is good or bad."
20th Century Fox has taken down Friedman's review. There is currently no word on whether he will end up losing his job over this or get sued.
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