When most people think of pirates, the first thing that pops into their minds is probably something like Captain Jack Sparrow, or really any pirate in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The classic, bearded, clipper ship sailing scoundrels. But with the rise of the Internet and the Digital Age, the term pirate has a slightly different look.
With the newest blockbusters and hottest music tracks so easily and readily available online, it has become easier and more and more popular for people to steal and share these movies and albums without paying a cent. The mindset is, why go see Rogue One in theaters this weekend and spend $50 on food, drink, and tickets, when we could watch it in the comfort of our own homes for free?
It seems like two of the most popular films to do that with in 2016 were Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad. The Worst Heroes Ever were the eighth most downloaded movie on BitTorrent, with the World’s Finest getting the second most downloads. The most pirated movie of the year honors (dishonors?) goes to Deadpool.
The other comic book movies on the list were Captain America: Civil War (#3) and X-Men Apocalypse (#5). Also included on the list were The Force Awakens (#4), Warcraft (#6), Independence Day: Resurgence (#7), Finding Dory (#9), and The Revenant (#10).
There are actually a few interesting things of note with this list. First of all, pretty much all of the films were still financially successful. The only true flops were Warcraft and Independence Day: Resurgence. My guess is people went to see them the first weekend in theaters and liked it enough to download it and watch it whenever they like without paying again.
Also, comic book movies are still highly sought after by general audiences. With more and more comic book movies coming out every year (6 this year alone!), it’s been long predicted that audiences will stop caring and the bubble will burst. Yet, they keep raking in the money, whether critically acclaimed or not, and people obviously want to see them whether they pay or not.
While Batman v Superman didn’t blow past $1 billion dollars and Suicide Squad wasn’t as beloved as people hoped, they were both financially successful, have their fans, and if this list is any indication, people wanted to see them. I guess we’ll have to wait to see if Wonder Woman and Justice League will be as popular on BitTorrent this time next year.