Most Pirated Films

If you were to look at the list of “Top Box Office Hits of 2008″ and “Top Pirated Movies of 2008,” you’ll find you’re looking at two very different lists. It could be that so many surly pirates illegally downloaded the films that they didn’t need to spend money to view. Or it could be that there are different expectations for different movies. For instance, one might feel more inclined to pay for “The Dark Knight,” which already has a franchise, more so than “Wall-E,” which could be hit or miss. It could also be that the illegal downloading type prefers different entertainment movies than the masses. Here are some of 2008’s top movies. You be the judge.

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The Dark Knight was the biggest hit at the box office in 2008 and also the most pirated movie, according to data collected by www.torrentfreak.com. The movie raked in $1 billion at theaters worldwide but was also downloaded 7.03 million times. According to TorrentFreak, “Comments on various BitTorrent sites reveal that many downloaders obtained an illegal copy after they had already watched the movie in the movie theater.” Perhaps the window of time with films is interfering with the consumers’ desire to have immediate access. Thomas Rubin, chief counsel for Intellectual Property Strategy at Microsoft, suggests that many people download new movies and music not because they want to steal it for free, but because they want access and more flexible ways to consume it.

Even though Dark Knight happened to top both lists, there are some films that shocked analysts. For instance, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the second-highest grossing movie in theaters with over $785 million, but was only the 30th most popular download. Coming in at #2 on the pirated list was the Incredible Hulk (opened at $55 million). It was closely followed by The Bank Job, which only earned a piddly $64.3 million at the box office. Critics were also surprised at the number of downloads for You Don’t Mess With Zohan; it had over 5 million, yet it opened at just $38 million. Other top downloads include National Treasure – Book of Secrets, Juno, Tropic Thunder, I Am Legend, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Horton Hears A Who. By contrast, the top movies (by gross) of 2008 included Kung Fu Panda, Hancock, Iron Man, Mamma Mia, Quantum of Solace, Wall-E, Madagascar – Escape to Africa and The Chronicles of Narnia – Prince Caspian. It seems that adventure and action movies just “have to been seen on the big screen,” whereas comedies, dramas and potential flop movies are the top downloads that most people want.

Recent statistics show that there were $4.5 billion in music downloads, $5.4 billion in movie downloads and $47 billion in software downloads for 2008. A recent lawsuit against BitTorrent site Pirate Bay seems to have hurt the peer-to-peer films sharing network temporarily. In April, the site’s Swedish administrators were forced to pay $3 million in fines and spend a year in prison. Yet media analysts say there are a number of other websites waiting to absorb the Pirate Bay audience. “Google now can and does do what the Pirate Bay has always done,” Harvard professor Ben Edelman explains. “And if they’re prosecuted, they would have much more interesting arguments in their defense.” He says Internet users can type in something like “Wolverine torrent” and receive many listings of where they can find free movies up for grabs. As Edelman says, “It’s a cat and mouse game; sometimes the mouse gets eaten, but there are always more mice scurrying around, willing to try their luck.”

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed anxiety therapy as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medication available at anxietydisordercure.com.