Isn’t Piracy Supposed to Hurt Films?

Let me get this straight. X-Men Origins: Wolverine leaked to the public more than a month prior to theatrical opening, and the flick has been widely panned. Yet it still had a $9.1 million bigger opening weekend than Star Trek, which got universally positive reviews and even advance Thursday night screenings. And with a $235 million total box office so far, including international receipts, ICv2 anticipates that Wolverine will continue to outgross Star Trek.

I’m not arguing that the leaked workprint compromised Wolverine ticket sales, but doesn’t this also imply that unauthorized peer-to-peer distribution contributes to word of mouth advertising and anticipation? Setting aside speculation, this competition evidently does underscore the fact that super heroes are more accepted and popular among American movie goers than sci-fi action is.

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