The introduction of same-day streaming releases has led to a large increase in movie piracy, according to the Motion Picture Association. Following the closure of theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new release strategy has allowed studios to release their productions with ease during the uncertainty around further closures and audience hesitation about going to theaters, allowing studios to keep release dates and maintain a profit.
Multiple studios have adopted same-day streaming releases for many of their larger high-budget productions. This can be seen with The Walt Disney Company, which has released select films onto the Disney+ streaming service through their Premier Access option, allowing audiences to access these latest releases for an additional fee before they are added to the standard service. A recent example is Cruella, which will be available to all Disney+ subscribers this Friday. While this has allowed studios to stick to set release dates, many in Hollywood fear the potential impact it can have on piracy.
During CinemaCon 2021 (via The Wrap), CEO of the Motion Picture Association, Charles Rivkin referred to actions taken against the piracy group NTG Release Group by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, Rivkin stated that the group was able to upload pirated copies of films within minutes of their digital release, with the group being responsible for uploading 4,600 releases within the past year.
“In May we released a statement from ACE against a group called NTG Release Group, When we took it down, NTG was ripping films since 2018 with 4,600 releases in the last year alone. They uploaded films within minutes of them being made available on digital release.”
Black Widow's 67% second-weekend box office drop is believed to have been affected by these new piracy tactics, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners. Following multiple delays, Black Widow was released both in theaters and on Disney+ through Premier Access. Due to the film being easily available at home on the same day as it hit theaters, piracy groups were able to upload high-quality illegal copies to multiple websites. The association believes that this was a factor in the steep drop seen in the box office following its opening weekend, resulting in it becoming the largest second-week drop within the MCU.
These growing concerns come during a time when the future of theaters is a point of discussion among key voices within the film industry. The National Association of Theatre Owners fears that the threat of piracy can cause more harm to theaters already struggling to recover from closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially when paired with audiences hesitant to return to theaters among reports of rising cases. The release strategy has also been addressed by creative figures such as Denis Villeneuve, with the director's refusal to offer digital screeners for Dune, insisting that viewing the film on demand would be comparable to "driving a speedboat in a bathtub", following similar complaints by Christopher Nolan regarding Tenet's release last year. With both studios and theaters looking forward cautiously regarding each release, it is evident that same-day streaming releases will remain a potential strategy for most studios going forward.
Source: The Wrap