Melinda Sue Gordon; ©2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.(LONDON) — In what both studios had feared might happen, the release of Warner Bros. Tenet and 20th Century Film’s The New Mutants overseas has apparently led to pirated versions of the films hitting the Internet. 

Both studios chose to open the films in wider release in foreign markets, given that theaters in the U.S. are still operating in a very limited capacity compared to their global counterparts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Variety reports both bootlegged versions of both films appear to have been shot with camcorders, and are “of negligible quality.” One has Korean subtitles, and the other German, according to the trade. 

One reason that major blockbusters are generally released simultaneously in many global markets is to cut down on pirated versions cutting into studios’ bottom line. However, the COVID-19 pandemic led Warner Bros. and 20th Century Films to release the movies overseas first. 

The New Mutants opened in the U.S. over the weekend, to the tune of around $8 million at the box office; Tenet, which took in around $53 million, opens next week in those states where movie theaters have been allowed to open — which, at present, don’t include the major markets of New York and Los Angeles.

By Stephen Iervolino
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