Marvel Studios
- Nearly all of the most pirated movies of the year so far were available online in some form.
- It shows the risks for studios when releasing a movie on streaming services and in theaters simultaneously.
- Theater owners have criticized the strategy, arguing it increases piracy and eats at a movie’s box office.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
During the pandemic, Hollywood studios have released some of their biggest movies simultaneously to theaters and streaming services. Theater owners generally hate it and have escalated their criticism of the strategy since the release of “Black Widow,” which Disney debuted in theaters and on Disney+ for an additional $30 fee on the same day.
A major part of their argument is that it leads to more piracy, which can hurt a movie’s box office.
“When a movie is released simultaneously to a streaming service, a pristine copy of that movie is made available day one that it’s in cinemas,” John Fithian, the CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), told Insider.
“Black Widow” is the biggest movie at the US box office so far this year with $182 million. But NATO believes it would have made more money, and not had such a dramatic drop at the domestic box office from it first to second weekend, if it had been exclusive to theaters.
Fithian argued that “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” another Marvel movie released over the weekend with a record $90 million during the four-day holiday, will have stronger legs at the box office because it’s not streaming – and therefore not being pirated as much.
Early piracy data suggests that could be the case. After “Black Widow” debuted on Disney+, it quickly shot to the top of piracy news website TorrentFreak’s weekly list of most pirated movies. “Shang-Chi,” in contrast, debuted at No. 5 on this week’s list.
An analysis of TorrentFreak’s weekly lists throughout the year show the risks of the simultaneous release strategy. While some of the movies that topped the lists were successful at the box office given the circumstances of the pandemic, theater owners would argue that they lost money from piracy.
Nearly all of the movies that topped the lists each week were online in some form, either on streaming services or available to rent on premium video-on-demand (PVOD) platforms after their theatrical runs (only one week so far this year had a movie top the list that was only in theaters at the time: “A Quiet Place Part II”).
Warner Bros. releases made up the majority of movies that topped the weekly lists, as the studio is releasing all of its 2021 films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Of the 36 weeks so far this year that TorrentFreak has tracked the most pirated movies for, a movie that was streaming on HBO Max topped 16 of them.
Here’s how that broke down by platform:
- HBO Max – 16 weeks
- PVOD – 9
- Disney+ – 6
- Paramount+ – 2
- Amazon Prime Video – 1
- Netflix – 1
- Only in theaters – 1
Movies that appeared most frequently (the ones that topped the lists more than two weeks in a row) were released simultaneously to theaters and on streaming services:
- “Mortal Kombat” – Four weeks in a row; was released in theaters and on HBO Max
- “Godzilla vs. Kong” – Three weeks in a row; was released in theaters and on HBO Max
- “Black Widow” – Three weeks in a row; was released in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access (additional $30 fee required for subscribers to watch)
Below is each movie that has topped TorrentFreak’s weekly list of most pirated movies this year, along with the weeks they were No. 1 and how they performed at the box office (if they weren’t exclusively streaming). The dates noted for each movie are the days that TorrentFreak updated its rankings, and it reflects the previous seven days.
Clay Enos/DC Comics/Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: December 25, 2020
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $16.7 million
Total domestic box office: $46.5 million
Total global box office: $166.5 million
“News of the World” (Universal) – January 18 and January 25
Universal Pictures/Netflix
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting January 15
US release date: December 25, 2020
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $2.25 million
Total domestic box office: $12.7 million
Total global box office: $12.7 million (distributed by Netflix internationally in February)
“The Little Things” (Warner Bros.) -February 1 and February 15
Nicola Goode/Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: January 29, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $4.7 million
Total domestic box office: $15.2 million
Total global box office: $29.8 million
“Bliss” (Amazon Studios) – February 8
Prime Video
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Amazon Prime Video
US release date: February 5, 2021
“Monster Hunter” (Sony) – February 22 and March 1
Sony
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting February 16
US release date: December 18, 2020
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $2.2 million
Total domestic box office: $15.2 million
Total global box office: $42.1 million
“Raya and the Last Dragon” (Disney) – March 8 and March 15
Walt Disney Animation
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Disney+ Premier Access (and in theaters)
US release date: March 5, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $8.5 million
Total domestic box office: $54.7 million
Total global box office: $122.7 million
“Zack Snyder’s Justice League” (HBO Max) – March 22 and March 29
HBO Max
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max
Release date: March 18, 2021
“Godzilla vs. Kong” (Warner Bros.) – April 5, April 12, and April 19
Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: March 31, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $31.6 million
Total domestic box office: $100.5 million
Total global box office: $467.9 million
“Mortal Kombat” (Warner Bros.) – April 26, May 3, May 10, and May 17
Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: April 23, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $23.3 million
Total domestic box office: $42.2 million
Total global box office: $83.6 million
“Army of the Dead” (Netflix) – May 24
Netflix
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Netflix
Release date: May 21, 2021
“Wrath of Man” (MGM) – May 31
MGM
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting May 25
US release date: May 7, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $8.3 million
Total domestic box office: $27.5 million
Total global box office: $104 million
“The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” (Warner Bros.) – June 7
Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: June 4, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $24.1 million
Total domestic box office: $65.6 million
Total global box office: $202 million
“Infinite” (Paramount) – June 14 and June 21
Paramount
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Paramount+
Release date: June 10
“Luca” (Disney) – June 28
Pixar
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Disney+ at no additional cost
Release date: June 18, 2021
“A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount) – July 5
Paramount
Was it online at the time? No, only in theaters (came to Paramount+ and PVOD platforms on July 13)
US release date: May 28, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $47.5 million
Total domestic box office: $160 million
Total global box office: $297.3 million
“Black Widow” (Disney) – July 12, July 19, and July 26
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Was it online at the time? Streaming on Disney+ Premier Access (and in theaters)
US release date: July 9, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $80.3 million
Total domestic box office: $182.7 million
Total global box office: $372.3 million
“F9: The Fast Saga” (Universal) – August 2
Universal
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting July 30
US release date: June 25, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $70 million
Total domestic box office: $172.9 million
Total global box office: $710.9 million
“The Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros.) – August 9 and August 16
Warner Bros.
Was it online at the time? Streaming on HBO Max (and in theaters)
US release date: August 6, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $26.2 million
Total domestic box office: $54.7 million
Total global box office: $162.5 million
“Snake Eyes” (Paramount) – August 23 and August 30
Paramount
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting August 17
US release date: July 23, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $13.3 million
Total domestic box office: $28.3 million
Total global box office: $37 million
“Don’t Breathe 2” (Sony) – September 6
Sony
Was it online at the time? Available on premium video-on-demand platforms starting September 3
US release date: August 13, 2021
Opening weekend box office (domestic): $10.6 million
Total domestic box office: $28.6 million
Total global box office: $41.4 million
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