The third movie of saga has had an incredible opening, with grossing over $30 million from its single midnight show on June, 30th. This made it hold the new record within the industry as biggest midnight gross ever. However, next morning one could see the other side of that coin: the pitch “Watch “Eclipse” movie online for free” was ranked in the top 10 search terms online.
Walt Disney Studios announced a battle that morning – box-office money against illegal online downloads – in California, right near the heart of the entertainment industry hurt by online piracy. The announcement said that operation “In Our Sites” was going to be a coordinated effort by US ICE and NIPRCC, aimed at identifying and closing down sites engaging in illegal activities.
The operation began from the seizure of several domain names of sites offering first-run films, usually within mere hours of their releases in theatres. Visitors to those websites are going to face a page featuring the logos of the FBI explaining the situation. At least, that’s what officials said.
The seizures were carried out after undercover agents downloaded different fresh movies from the accused websites. The list included fresh releases of “Sex and the City 2” and “Iron Man 2.” In addition, residential search warrants came alongside with the seizure in several areas, including New Jersey, Washington, and New York.
After the abovementioned announcement was made in regards to “Eclipse”, some industry’s executives voiced out their opinion over the reason why Americans should care. The main arguments were, of course, money and jobs losses.
The results of the action taken will be estimated by its ability to get sustained over time, because it may turn into yet another big stir by the government, followed by dropping this initiative out of sight. However, most observers agree that such attempts to stop piracy will most likely result in considerable expense passed on to the consumers (whom else?)
Although it might seem right to Pattinson and Stewart’s fans to punish people stealing from their gods, they have to admit that finally the audience will be the one most hurt in this situation.
