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In the late 90’s of the past century, and with the increasing availability of internet in every household, feature films began to be ripped from DVD’s and/or cam-corded within movie theaters to be shared online for millions of people to download and watch without paying a dime. At the time, these erratic occurrences did not raise the concerns of movie producers, but little did they know about what was coming ahead.
With the plethora of technologies the digital age brought, movie pirates continued to find better and more efficient ways to steal movie content with better audio and video quality. They started recording audio separately and then synchronizing the recorded video along with it, using hidden
cameras, bribing projectionists to supply them with a copy of the movie, and the obnoxious list goes on.
What these pirates don’t realize (or prefer to ignore) is the drastic effect of piracy on the movies they love, the whole movie industry, and (yes) the economy as a whole. In 2008, the movie industry (box office revenues and other sales) contributed a whopping $52 Billion to the US economy, but could have contributed an additional $18 Billion if it wasn’t for pirated copies of movies.
Cutting profits of movie studios will inevitably lead to cutting costs of movie production. This means less special effects, weaker cinematography, even actors who once used to be picky about their roles to ensure their professional status in the industry would no longer be able to do so due to cutting budgets.
Just picture Robert Downey Jr. starring in a rom-com alongside Kristen Stewart. Doesn't seem so pretty, huh?