‘Hobbit’ is already snared by pirates
THE FIRST instalment of Sir Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy has already fallen victim to video pirates.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey cost an estimated $663 million to make and has been dubbed the most expensive movie ever produced, costing $ 200m more than the third film of the five-movie Pirates of the Caribbean series.
The Hobbit had its world premiere in Wellington on November 28. Since its full cinema release two weeks later, the film has amassed in excess of US$826m in box-office takings.
But one website – which Sunday StarTimes has chosen not to name – last night offered 230 versions of Peter Jackson’s movie for free, and illegal, download.
One user uploaded two versions of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and by last night downloads of the movie from the person’s account topped 180,000.
The user – who we have also chosen not to name – explained the process taken to share the pirated version of the film.
‘‘As you can imagine it took some time, loads of security in it, days of work I can tell you, all for the security of the source,’’ the person wrote.
The uploader wrote they had spent time trying to rid the supplied clip of a series of watermarks – added to preview copies in a bid to reduce the risk of piracy.
Some of the watermarks were numbers, others included code which appeared randomly on screen in 20 spots.
‘‘Wont [sic] effect [sic] the viewing . . . hardly seeable unless you are searching for it on purpose.’’
The person added: ‘‘Its [sic] a big risk going out with this movie, hope you appreciate my work.
‘‘I am a big fan of Lord of the Rings, watched each in cinema, and if you are too you should also go to the cinema and support the producer and watch the movie on a big screen, in 3d perhaps with the higher frame rate.’’
Hollywood heavyweights Warner Bros – which handles worldwide theatrical and video distribution of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – declined to comment.
But Tony Eaton, executive director of New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft (NZFACT), last night said: ‘‘ We are prepared to take all steps necessary to identify the thieves and pursue our available remedies under civil and criminal law.’’
Eaton urged Kiwis to watch The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at movie theatres, or official subsequent DVD and Blu-ray releases, rather than source pirated copies.
‘‘ Illegal downloading has a serious impact on the creative industries, jeopardising the jobs and livelihood of all those involved in bringing this film to fans in New Zealand and all over the world.’’
The Motion Picture Association said that piracy cost the film industry in New Zealand an estimated $70.8m in 2005.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers’ report, Economic Contribution of the New Zealand Film and Television Industry 2012, found that, in 2011, the industry generated and supported 21,315 fulltime jobs.