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I can recall going to the movies every weekend ever since I was 12. There were the occasional weekends where my sister, my cousin and I did not make it, but for the most part, we were there. Going to the movies has always been a favorite pastime of mine, although the movie ticket prices managed to rise ever so slowly every year. Luckily, my part time job kept my favorite hobby accessible. As I started college, and focused on my studies instead of my part time job, I went to the movies less and less. This is not because I have grown out of attending the actual theater, but because the prices are just so high. Ticket prices have skyrocketed in the past few years. I remember when tickets were about four dollars a person and now they are about $10. With such drastic changes in ticket prices, I am not surprised that the box office does not make their usual incomes and piracy has increased over the years.
Piracy comes in two forms. The first form is through peer-to-peer sites on the internet and the second is bootlegged hard copies. Peer-to peer sites are websites in which people share files for music and movies free. While these sites are legal, peoples' misuse of these sites and make them illegal. The bootlegged copies of movies are created from someone who attends the premier of a movie and video records it, makes copies and sells them. While these methods are well known in our society, there is no one cause for piracy's growing numbers. The causes for growing piracy are because movie debuts differ around the world, people would rather have movies in a digital format, and theaters are too distracting. The main cause is that movies are too expensive.
The first possible cause of piracy is because of the different movie debut times around the world. Since movies are debuted at different times around the world, people find ways to get the movie themselves so they will not have to wait months or even years after the first debut of a movie. In some countries, people would do almost anything to see new films in a timely fashion. This is why some people would choose to pirate a movie instead of seeing it in a movie theater, because some do not have it in their theaters, or do not have a movie theater at all. Todd Wagner, the co-president of 2929 Entertainment explains why movies are debuted this way. He states, “Film is built around a business model where they're trying to get as many people as possible to see something on the very first weekend, at very select locations, for months before its available any other way” (Gordon 54). When moviemakers do this, it gives movies a type of exclusivity of attending the theaters. However, this exclusivity then leads to people trying to attain something that they cannot afford or attain by their living standards. This is another reason why pirating happens so often. Jack Valenti, the past president and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, expands upon Gordon's notion by stating what happens when people pirate films. He states,
Much of the hard-goods pirated products, especially of films in theatrical release, are the result of people illegally recording movies in theaters, and then distributing them over the Internet. Then they are stamped onto optical disks and sold for pennies on the streets of Asia and Eastern Europe, even before the movie has a chance to open in those countries. (Valenti 515)
While Valenti complains about the piracy committed across the seas, he fails to recognize that there would be less pirated films distributed if the people overseas had access to the same movies. Just because there may not be movie theaters in some peoples' areas does not mean that they do not want to see movies, which is why people choose to pirate films. This however could not be the main cause since piracy is prevalent in America as well, and movies are debuted at a reasonably convenient time in this region.
Another cause for why people may pirate films is because people want movies in a digital format so that they may watch movies at their own convenience. People are doing away with CDs since Ipods came around and DVDs since the PSP came around. Having a digital format enables people to watch movies on their Ipods so that they will not have to worry about scratches on the disc or carrying around the DVD case. Having a digital format of movies also protects ones' movies from being stolen. Overall, having a digital format of movies is just more convenient. Bit Torrent COO, Ashwin Navin says, “You never saw an ad that says, use iTunes because it is legal… what users care about is getting their favorite content in a digital format” (Bruno 16). While Ipods are advertised al the time on TV, iTunes is hardly encouraged on TV; therefore, people go to the first sites they see. Everything is digital these days and people just want their favorite movies in this form as well. Valenti disagrees with Navin when it comes to people's mindsets about piracy. He states, “[File stealers] mantras are 'I have the technological power to use as I see fit and I will upload and download movies, no matter who owns them for I don't care about ownership” (Valenti 513). Regardless of each individuals mindset for why they download these movies illegally, the one thing that is known for sure that this format is a lot more convenient now, which can be a reason for why piracy is so popular. Although this cause may contribute to why piracy happens so often, it could not be the main cause because all moviegoers want their movie in a digital format since there are still many who purchase DVDs. Maybe the problem is with the theater itself.
Another reason why piracy is increasing is because the whole movie experience in the theaters is distracting. Since there are so many rude people in the theaters talking, leaving food all over the place, and just being rowdy, it makes the event less enjoyable to others. Jeff Myers, another regular moviegoer, describes his usual experience in the theater. He states,
Cell phones ringing, noisy candy wrappers crinkling, people talking as if they're in their living room, and 15 minutes of advertising before the show — and the nearly $10 tickets, and as much or more for food — and you can easily understand the exodus from theaters as well as the boom in home theater equipment sales. (Robbins 10a)
Here he is showing that with all the regular distractions from the movie, it makes things very difficult to just sit back and enjoy the movie. There can be anything from children running up and down the isles to someone just talking on their phone; it ruins the experience. While there has always been the occasional rude person in an audience, it can be very bothersome since movie ticket prices are so high now. This is why people choose to watch pirated movies in the comfort of their own quiet home. Joyce Davis, a 53-year old moviegoer who loves going to the movies agrees with Myers since she too has similar negative experiences when attending the movies. “Davis was used to enduring familiar rituals: waiting in ticketlines, at the concession stand and through countless commercials and movie trailers before the main attraction. And trying to ignore annoying cell phones, pagers and personal digital assistants.” (Breznican 1d). These distracting theaters can also be a reason for why people invest so much money into bigger televisions and surround sound systems. With this theater equipment and pirated films, one can enjoy the theater at home. Although these can really contribute to why piracy is so high now, it cannot be the main cause since like I stated earlier, there has always been the occasional rude person, but the main cause could be because the movie ticket prices are so high.
The main cause for why movies are pirated is because ticket prices are too expensive. It does not make any sense why ticket prices have doubled when it has not even been a full decade. Because of this movie going has become a luxury instead of a practical pastime. It is no longer for families since it would cost too much to have everyone to go, and no longer for parents to get away from the children since they would have to pay for a babysitter, which would probably amount to the cost for the child to attend the movie anyway. So who is left to attend the movies? It is not the frugal college students or the teenagers who receive an allowance since the prices are out of their range. This is when people who still want to watch movies have to watch pirated versions since they cannot afford to go. Barbara Robbins, an active moviegoer and writer for USA Today further explains why there is such a decline in the box office. She states,
Hollywood is pricing movies out of a lot of people's reach… Producers need to start rethinking budgets. The industry pays obscene salaries to its “stars.” Most people who go to see these stars' movies will not make their pay for one movie in a lifetime. These high salaries then contribute to high-ticketprices. (Robbins 10a)
She makes a good point here. While the ticket prices continue to increase, the stars of these movies are still being paid plenty. In recent news, they are heard of to be being paid more than their usual ridiculous amounts. We have not heard of the actors complaining about the decrease in their pay. Daniel Breznican, also a writer for USA Today, expands upon Robbins idea of high prices chasing moviegoers away, claiming that movie prices are only one reason for the movie slump. He discusses, “Highticketprices at multiplexes that are too noisy and charge too much for snacks” (Breznican 1d). While the snacks at movie theaters have always been expensive, it is just too much to try to pay for an expensive movie ticket as well as the overpriced snacks. Some may not feel this way, however. One may argue that the main cause for the overpriced movie tickets is because of piracy. They feel that as soon as more people began to pirate films, the movie tickets have steadily increased. If people would just stop pirating films than the movie tickets will just miraculously go down. This is a misconception since movie ticket prices have been rising way before peer-to-peer sites became so popular. Piracy is just used as a scapegoat for the movie industries' greedy ways. As long as these ticket prices stay high, so will the rate of piracy.
There is more than one cause for piracy, with high-ticket prices being the main cause. While it has been going on for some time, there is no sure way to end piracy completely. Everyone loves movies and would love to go to the theater to enjoy them if they could afford them. It is important for the movie industry to know all of the causes of why people pirate movies since it will help them put an end to piracy overall. I hope to one day be able to sit back, relax and enjoy a movie that is cheap in a quiet theater. One can only hope.
Works Cited
Breznican, Anthony, Gary Strauss. “Where Have All the Moviegoers Gone?” USA Today. 23 June 2005. 1d. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 19 March 2007 .
Bruno, Anthony.”P2P: Too Legit to Quit.” Billboard. 3 Mar. 2007: 16 Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 15 Mar. 2007 .
Gordon, Devin. “Why TV is Better than the Movies.” Newsweek. 26 February 2007: 52-57. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Jerome Lib., Bowling Green State U. 15 Mar. 2007. .
Robbins, Barbara. “Ticket Prices Wallop Wallets.” USA Today 9 Jan. 2006: 10a. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Bowling Green State U. 19 Mar. 2007
Valenti, Jack. “Thoughts on the Digital Future of Movies, the Threat of Piracy, the Hope of Redemption.” Perspectives on Contemporary Issues: Readings Across the Disciplines.Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Thomson Wadsworth,
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