The Expendables 3 - DVD quality Leaked Online with over 1 million downloads 2 wks before opening day

The Expendables 3 the new Sylvester Stallone movie is set to open in U.S. theaters on August 14, but I've already seen the new DVD quality copy online.

Chances are you've heard of this so why make the thread.. for those of you stuck on ATS for the past 5 days this is for you LOL.

I won't post links because this file is all over the net. You can trip over Google accidentally and a copy of this file will pop up. The apparent DVD screener copy was leaked on Wednesday of last week and has been downloaded by torrent at least over a million times already. But this file is Everywhere.. on free online movie streaming sites, Popcorn Time and if's forks as well as regular torrents and http downloads. I'll bet the number of folks who viewed the film on a streaming site like I did is also in the millions of numbers.

Pirated copies of “Expendables 3″ began cropping up on torrent-sharing sites Wednesday and downloads started to spike Thursday, according to data provided by piracy-analytics firm Excipio. As of 6 p.m. Eastern Thursday, the movie had been downloaded 189,052 times worldwide, with 42,216 of those in the U.S., according to Excipio. [UPDATE: As of Sunday, July 27, at 6 p.m. Eastern, Excipio had tracked 1.13 million illegal downloads of "Expendables 3" worldwide.]

A similar a leak happened in 2009, when a rough cut of 20th Century Fox’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” was shared on Megaupload.com about a month before the tentpole’s preem. Fox estimated that at least 15 million people downloaded the movie, and represented tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue.

variety.com...

What amazed me is someone actually made a DVD Sreener Before the film was even released - this is very rare. It's a digital copy of the film complete with GCI and other special effects - this does Not look like an unfinished film by any means. They take the normal film footage/sound and run it through a tool that digitizes the film to a high quality digital version - thats what is called a DVD Screener copy of the movie. The file is essentially the working version they use to make copies of DVD's from.

This was also very risky for the studio unless the thief got his hands on the footage and made th DVD Screener himself without the studio knowing. So far, the studio Touchstone nor the actors have said anything publicly about the leaked copy.

To me this is very strange.. it's almost like they released this into the wild on purpose. It would seem so if the DVD quality copy came from the studio itself. Perhaps if so, they did it to see exactly how much piracy effects the box office or perhaps they did it to say Hey F You to Hollywood. Could there be a real conspiracy here?

What do you think ATS?

BTW, go see this film.. i don't care how you see it either via torrent, online streaming of go to the theater and spend $$$ on the 14th. If you likes the other Expendable movies, you'll love this one too. I hope they make a 4th.

I have to wonder, did they do it on purpose?

Ya know, because they needed the hype for it?

I watched it but I'm starting to regret not using a VPN to download the movie because of the possible motivation behind leaking the movie. Please use a VPN if you're going to download it. It's better to be safe then sorry.

originally posted by: TheProphetMark
I watched it but I'm starting to regret not using a VPN to download the movie because of the possible motivation behind leaking the movie. Please use a VPN if you're going to download it. It's better to be safe then sorry.

That's a good point. I had not thought "massive booby trap" until I read your post. This is one I won't be seeing as it isn't my type of movie... But I had to comment on your post.

Hopefully more will see it and maybe avoid some unpleasantness.

Nothing's "free".

Im a member of a private tracker, Expendables HD DVD .mp4 poped up on the 24th

originally posted by: chiefsmom
I have to wonder, did they do it on purpose?

Ya know, because they needed the hype for it?

Ya know.. I've been watching these copies for a long time now.. I had a copy of the first Harry Potter movie ( this is over 10 years ago) a week before it hit theaters but that was a bad version someone made by shooting the camcorder at the movie screen (called a Cam copy) I have never seen such a dvd quality copy released this early. Even the Wolverine film was not as nice as this nor was it a DVD copy.

This is why I seriously entertain the notion there is something funny going on here.. I also find it very odd the studio nor the actors said anything about this.. Thats telling in my book. To me it says they Know something. I could be wrong.. time will tell.

originally posted by: JohnPhoenix
The Expendables 3 the new Sylvester Stallone movie is set to open in U.S. theaters on August 14, but I've already seen the new DVD quality copy online.

Just asking out of curiosity... are you gonna go check it out in a theater?

I really likes this one, not as overboard as the second (still overboard though) but enjoyable, some great appearances by some classic actors, very nostalgia.

Film should be done for the art, not the money so I have no problems downloading a movie, mind you if I see a movie i think I will love, I take the family to the movies to experience it.

Yep! I saw it last week ...I Liked it!

a reply to: JohnPhoenix
Film work today passes through so many hands, and there's now so many layers to the process, that any disgruntled employee can upload a copy, whether it be finished or not.
I'd heard the Wolverine film wasn't even half finished- it was still in post production.

If it's a screener copy, the company knows where it came from. If it's a rigged release, you won't hear of the aftermath.

Money from films makes more films, and pays a lot of people, like I said, there's a lot of processes now to film. All the money doesn't find it's way to Hollywood, there's hard working artists allover the place that like to work and get paid.

If those guys are so damn expendable, how come they keep coming back to make more movies?
Expend them already!

a reply to: ColeYounger

Plastic surgery and steroids, it preserves them in ways we'll never know.

originally posted by: minusinfinity
Nothing's "free".

Speak for yourself.

I give free hugs.

*cough*

Honey trap.

*Cough*

If anybody downloads this, make sure to use a VPN or just, don't use torrents full stop. Use file-sharing websites instead.

originally posted by: the_philth
Just asking out of curiosity... are you gonna go check it out in a theater?

Nope but then, I haven't paid for the Theater since you could go there, buy a ticket, candy and a coke for under ten bucks. 5 bucks say to view a new movie on a huge screen, yes, thats acceptable and i'd pay it if prices were still that cheap. We used to have dollar theaters here or theaters with cheap prices before 12 noon, say 3 bucks a film and the candy wasn't much more than the store prices.

I stopped going to the theater years ago watching all this happen. Theater prices are easily doubled or tripled store prices these days. I have seen 7 bucks for a small popcorn. POPCORN people. Piracy didn't hurt the theaters, the theaters owners greed did the theater in.

Now I want a chance to see that film on my own terms without the highway robbery. I enjoyed the film so I should probably send 5 bucks to Touchstone. Let's all do that, perhaps we can force the industry to deliver shows they way we want at prices we can afford. Films can be Donationware. It would work.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix

What amazed me is someone actually made a DVD Sreener Before the film was even released - this is very rare.

Is it?

Its happened many times before,

especially just before Oscar time, a few months before that movies that are nominated and still in the cinemas get released as screeners.

The last 2 or 3 years has been the best with numerous screeners being released late December or early January.

Great film by the way.

a reply to: JohnPhoenix
Oh man, don't get me started on the theater-snack robbery - I stopped buying theater snacks YEARS ago as a result - I have NO problem sneaking in my own snacks and drinks. It's just so unfortunate that the movie-house owners have turned to some serious capitalistic greed.

But there's just something about the theater experience that makes it a good thing. The huge screen and loud audio is great. I own a crapload of films, but man, if I'd get the chance to go and watch For a Few Dollars More in a sick IMAX theater, you'd bet your A$$ I'm gonna go watch it!

a reply to: the_philth
I'm like upu with that. I pick and choose my movies depending on how it's going to be on the big screen.
Maybe that's why superhero movies are up, and feel good romantic comedies aren't bringing in the dough.

I'm not going to watch Sandra Bullock quirkily fall in love for the 47th time on the big screen, but I really enjoyed Winter Soldier in 3d. His sheild coming towards you is enough to put your neck out, but I don't feel robbed due to lack of entertainment.