The official numbers aren't in yet, but reports indicate that the debut of Michael Moore's documentary on the health care industry is a smash--this despite being downloaded on file-sharing sites a week before the opening.
Sicko sold out in the 43 theaters across the country where it appeared during "sneak" previews last weekend. The film's producers, the Weinstein Company, won't reveal earnings, but in New York, the movie appeared on one theater screen and still managed to bank $70,000. By all indications, this is a blockbuster number.
I've been tracking how Moore's expose fares to gauge the effect file sharing may have on movie premieres. So far the only impact appears to be positive. The film received media attention nearly two weeks ago when copies popped up on YouTube and Google Video and were being shared by thousands online via BitTorrent files.
Nothing grabs headlines like controversy.
Some in the file-sharing ranks say they may have even helped generate early buzz about the film by spreading positive reviews across the Web. The Weinstein Company continues to condemn copyright infringement, according to a spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, Evan Almighty showed up at Google Video's site in the United Kingdom, according to the National Legal and Policy Center. The clip was viewed more than 69,000 times on the site before being pulled Monday morning.
If the pirate community is any judge of movies, Michael Moore's Sicko is sure to be a hit.
On the day that the documentary about the health care industry is scheduled to debut, unauthorized copies continue to flitter across the Web. Illegal downloading of the film began gathering steam last week when copies appeared at The PirateBay, YouTube and Google Video.
What started with just a few hundred people a week ago, has mushroomed into the tens of thousands. A review of torrent search engines Mininova, TorrentReactor.net, The PirateBay, Isohunt and Torrentz on Friday showed that thousands of people were downloading the movie throughout the day (thanks to Richard for the tip).
There were unconfirmed reports that the film also reappeared briefly on Google Video over the past few days before being pulled.
If you recall, I am trying to discern what kind of impact file sharing has on ticket sales for a movie that has yet to open widely. While the Weinstein Co. issued public threats about prosecuting those responsible for leaking the movie, the controversy has sparked lots of valuable media attention for the film.
A CNET News.com reader named Seth argued that Hollywood shouldn't forget that file sharers are a trend-setting demographic. He said that often when the sharers download a good flick, they act as an underground marketing arm by spreading the word to friends.
"That is a huge profit and free advertisement," Seth wrote. "Eventually everyone will download movies...hopefully by then the big movie companies will have become smart enough to find a way to profit off the new way movies are watched."
The file-sharing community may feel more entitled to share Sicko than other movies. In an interview three years ago, Moore voiced his support for file sharing, saying that he didn't agree with copyright laws and that he just wanted people to see his movies. He didn't care how they saw them. (Played back in court, that interview would make a nice defense, no?)
More recently, however, Moore has sounded less supportive of copyright violators.
He told the media this week that he thinks whoever was responsible for distributing the DVD copies that apparently were the source of much of the file sharing, is trying to undercut his film. The Weinstein Co. has not responded to requests to interview Moore or the Weinsteins.
Next week we'll continue to track ticket sales and talk to marketing experts to see whether file sharers can take a bow for helping promote Sicko. But beware those of you who might have downloaded the film.
Should it tank, you might make a convenient scapegoat.
We could soon learn more about whether illegal file sharing is a friend or foe to a movie debut.
Sicko, the documentary about the health-care industry from director Michael Moore is due to be released on Friday. To several thousand fans of YouTube, Google Video and The PirateBay, the movie's opening came a week earlier. That's when bootleg copies began cropping up at those places.
Any studio exec will say each illegal download represents a lost ticket sale. That's food out of the mouths of cinematographers, actors, costumers and best boys, the studio suit will huff.
Not so, say those that download. Typically their argument goes something like this: The Internet promotes movies like nothing else. People who really enjoy a film they watch online will often plunk down cash for a DVD or movie ticket. True film fans want high quality copies for their video libraries and also put a premium on the big-screen experience.
I believe some of that. I'm a movie buff and if I like a film I see in the theater I'll pick up the DVD. But what many in Hollywood are skeptical about is whether the masses will pay for something that they can get for free.
Over the next week or so, I'm planning to keep tabs on how Sicko does at the box office as well as track the number of unauthorized copies being shared. The goal of course is to learn whether illegal downloads actually depress ticket sales.
Some anecdotal evidence already indicates that they don't.
First, the controversy over the pirated copies that appeared last weekend generated plenty of headlines for Sicko. Nobody associated with the movie is going to be distressed about that. On the sites where the bootlegs appeared scores of comments were posted and that's the kind of word-of-mouth promotion marketers love.
And what about Moore's controversial film, Fahrenheit 9/11? Despite being widely pirated, the movie's $119 million in U.S. ticket sales made it the highest grossing documentary of all time.
Moore himself sides with the bootleggers.
"I don't agree with the copyright laws," Moore said during a press conference three years ago. "I don't have a problem with people downloading the movie and sharing it as long as they aren't doing it to make a profit off my labor. I would oppose that."
Not every artist sees it the same way, of course. Certainly, the people who bankrolled Moore's latest picture don't.
"We at the Weinstein Company (the movie's producer) are outraged by illegal piracy," said Peter Hurwitz, the company's general counsel, in a statement.
As for tracking the film's progress, here's the tally so far: over the weekend, the copies of Sicko that appeared at YouTube and Google Video were viewed over 1,000 times before they were removed. At the PirateBay and Mininova, copies have been downloaded more than four thousand times combined. If you know about any other sites, please feel free to pass them along.
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