Recently an unfinished version of the highly anticipated Hugh Jackman movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, leaked onto the Internet.
This security breach could be disastrous for the folks in charge of this movie because, as one blogger put it, it could have "a dramatic and negative impact on this film's opening and overall box office performance."
Ugh. Poor Hugh.
Big leaks like this don't happen too often, but when they do I try to resist the temptation to watch because I prefer my initial viewing of a movie to be on the big screen. On the other hand, knowing that a movie I really want to see is out there on the Internet, it can be so tempting to go searching for it.
So what do you think? Would you watch a leaked movie?
Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox
Pratt's
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heck yes!
1who wouldnt take advantage of saving money?
no - i think that you need to keep the integrity of the movie intact and that means waiting until it's available in theaters. the actors and the studio invested a LOT behind the movie that you should just wait and pay a couple of dollars to see it. that's kind of part of the business ...and i feel really bad for the folks dealing with the wolverine mess
2I watched it, it's hilarious.
3Definitely!
4Probably not, since it's unfinished. If it were the full version and good quality, I might watch it because I so rarely actually make it to the theater.
5i'll sneak a peek of a few seconds to see how the quality is, if it's bad i'll wait till a better one comes out or till it's released here, but that could be months from the american release date!
6No because I have good morals and ethics. It is ethically, morally and legally wrong to watch a leaked version of a movie. And the people who get paid for these movies aren't just the stars or produces, it's every single person who worked on a film. But it's a their work anyway, and to watch it without paying for it is theft.
7No. With my luck, I would get caught!lol.
8Honestly I think I'd just rather see the movie on the big screen. It's a waste to watch the leak and I wouldn't listen to anybody who critiqued the movie based on a leak version.
9NO- This is a perfect example of situational ethics. It's stealing. We can try and sugar coat it however we want but the bottom line is we would be receiving something we have no right too. Plus, our payment shows support for the artist and programming we enjoy-if we don't support the artist who's going to make the art?
10No, because I can't think of any movies I'd want to see badly enough that I'd watch a low quality version on my computer.
11no, but only because it will probably suck quality wise and might get changed later, so it's like watching the first draft.
but i do watch leaked stuff from sundance before it hits theatres. curious cage of benjamin button anyone?
12NJRae, true artists don't get support. they do sometimes, but only cause they got lucky, in this case it's the money making business, not art.
13Well, if an auto dealership spent a hundred million dollars on making an assembly line of cars. I personally wouldnt accept one that was stolen by an employee and offered to me free.
Several films are pirated, and I dont mean to judge those who watch them. But I do think those who are responsible for the initial theft, should be firmly prosecuted for a felony.
14There are artists who do get paid based on ticket sales. Its written into contracts, they usually work for scale or little more, and receive a back end of profits.
Jack Nicholson is known for working accepting those terms.
15I am a huge fan of the X-men movies and have been anticipating this one, so I don't want it ruined by watching it on this little screen.
16HECK YES I WATCHED IT.....BUT ONLY BY MISTAKE I WAS LOOKING FOR AN NCIS EPPI THAT I MISSED AND THEN I SAW THE X-MEN MOVIE AND I CLICKED IT AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A TRAILER BUT IT WASN'T TO MY SURPRISE IT WAS THE REAL THING..... IT WAS A GREAT MOVIE EXCEPT 4 THE GREEN STUFF BUT ALL IN ALL A GREAT MOVIE SAVED ME 10.50 AT THE THEATERS WHEN IT COMES OUT (SORRY HUGH:(
17Maybe, but I'll for sure see it opening weekend too. This is a movie I'm super excited about.
18For me, it's about being honest. I don't want to cheat someone out of something that they deserve, so I won't watch a movie leak. I won't illegally download music either. I'm one of "those."
19Nope. I'm really looking forward to this movie but I want to see it in good quality on the big screen.
20I've watched it and the quality was quite good, although some special effects were missing. I though that added to the experience, sort of a look behind the scenes.
I bought the DVD and watched it on my TV, so it wasn't on my computer either. It's al over the DVD shops here, so basically unstoppable. Seeing as the cinema release has yet TBD for my country I don't feel guilty about watching. I'll go to the theatre too if it ever gets here.
21Heck yeah I watch unleased/leaked movies... I mean, yes I WOULD.
22Artist can be paid percentages based on tickets sales, DVD sales, etc. And here is something you might find interesting- down load 1 movie, song, etc. and get caught the penalty can be anything from losing your Internet access, to a fine of $750- $150,000. Suddenly that $10.50 ticket doesn't seem so bad. Some people are only going to see the "get caught" part of my statement- well it is getting a lot easier to find out who is illegally downloading media. What about if it was something you created?
23I only download movies that I wouldn't go see in the theater or rent on DVD. So... what's the harm? At least I watch them!
24I wouldn't watch it online-but I have sort of watched a leaked movie before. I saw Transformers a couple of weeks before it came out. I had some friends who worked at the theater and they figured out the code to unlock the movie, so we went in real late and watched it- it was like a private screening. I don't regret it, it was awesome, and I paid to see it again a couple more times, so don't feel like I was cheating the system or anything.
25Depends on the movie... For something like this, I would wait for the finished version
26Yes...but since it's X-men I would also see it in the movie theatre for the effect.
27No, it wouldn't be worth all the trouble of downloading because I know the quality would be bad.
28I don't know... I would want to, but I'm a chicken. the possibility of getting caught and the possible legal ramifications ar enough to stop me in my tracks.
29Possibly. I'd try to wait it out though.
30Of course - going to the theatres is a rip off now!
31some movie, like this one, id like to watch in the theater. but i would watch a pirated movie.
32movies*
33No mainly because I would be afraid that some final effect work, etc. would not show up in the leaked print. I doubt that this is the final, clean print that will go to the theaters.
34The piracy thing is tricky - for this case, no, because I would want to see it finished and on the big screen, for other cases...it depends.
I watch movies online (uploaded on some websites) when I am bored, don't want to go out, can't find in my video store at the time or don't want to pay $4 for something that I will get bored of and not finish - which is wrong, but at the same time, I have gone out and bought SO MANY movies that I watched online because I loved them and thought they were worth it.
Now the online thing has become almost like a trial for me - I love British movies which aren't at the local BB anytime, and watching it online and then ordering it for like $35 on amazon seems fair to me.
35I wouldn't...i would rather see it in the theatre for the first time. Besides, there's still a theatre in our city that only charges $4 for matinee and $6 regular.
36i tend to watch "leaked" versions to see if its something i'd enjoy, and if it's a good movie, i go to the theater to support the movie. if it's crap, then i don't see the point in supporting it. there are so many movies that i extremely disliked and would have felt i wasted my money if i had gone to the theaters to watch it, but every once in awhile, there's a movie that has a wonderful storyline and amazing acting/direction so i spend the money to watch it properly, the way it was meant to be. for example, the movie "taken" was out in dvd quality at least a month prior to US theatrical release. i absolutely loved it watching it at home, so i ended up going to the theater and spent 20.00 to watch it on the big screen munching on popcorn. so really, even though i was able to watch it for free, i still paid to watch it legally as well because it was worth it.
37"I had some friends who worked at the theater and they figured out the code to unlock the movie"
Woah! You know you could have gotten into BIG trouble for that.
As far as bad quailty for leaked movies, that's not true at all. A 'leaked' movie is almost always a "workprint" (like the wolverine movie, which is rare) or a "screener" (which is what is sent out to movie critics and more common).
38I downloaded it but I have not and probably will not watch it. I heard that its not even the final cut and that you can see the wires and everything hanging from the actors. Plus movies like that you need to see in the theater in my opinion.
It will still be a big movie either way.
39No way. Why watch an unfinished, unpolished version and have all the surprises ruined? I go to the movies for the experience.
40Well apparently I am a hypcritical artist because I watch pirated movies. ARRGHH!!
Seriously. though I have close friends who have had their work stolen and it isn't great but I have watched leaked/stolen movies before.
I caught X Men by mistake because where I work some of our participants bring in their own DVDs and the guy brought it in. I caught the last half.
41No. Even though I do watch movies online, I still like going to the movies. There is no comparison, I would rather see a big blockbuster on the big screen than on my laptop.
42Personally, I think it would depend on the film. If its one I am not too sure about spending $10.00 for the big screen experience (and potential disappointment), I might be persuaded. However, films like this which I am dying to see gratuitous shots of giant Hugh on the screen, I will abstain from.
I like the larger than life Wolfie running about slashing and blowing things up with all his uber-muscle-y-goodness.
Admittedly, I get annoyed with people who preach about their refusal to do such things because more than likely, they're guilty in some way. Yes, it's stealing, but so is using programs like Limewire, Napster (in the old days) or sites like YouTube or Hulu to a certain extent. Even burning a copy of a CD or a mixed tape could be considered piracy. It just depends on one definition of piracy.
That being said, whoever leaked this gem should be dragged out and shot... or at least very fired. Just being the Devil's advocate.
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