Disney/Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame, a movie that millions of people have been waiting years to see, has begun screening in certain theatres around the globe ahead of its release in the U.S. This should not come as a surprise to anyone, but the full movie has already been pirated because… this is the world we live in?
Depending on where you are in the world, the advertisements announcing Avengers: Endgame’s release date have been different, because the film isn’t being rolled out simultaneously. After premiering in Los Angeles on April 22, Endgame came to markets throughout Asia, Europe, and Australia on the 24th, and it’s being released in the U.K. today.
All of this is to say that quite a few people have already seen the movie in theatres, which means that people have had the opportunity to illegally record the film and upload it online.
TorrentFreak reports that Chinese uploads of Endgame hit BitTorrent last night, and the quality of the watermark-laden video is abysmal. We’ve reached out to Disney for comment about the pirated copies of the film and will report back if we receive a response.
None of this is surprising, really.
The most interesting thing about the spoiler-heavy chunk of Avengers: Endgame footage that leaked onto the internet last week was the implication that whoever initially posted the ill-gotten video likely had clearance to view it.
A big part of why Marvel’s been able to largely keep details about the film quiet is that the studio goes to great lengths to ensure that people close to the production don’t reveal things to the public. But this new instance of pirating isn’t surprising when you consider Avengers: Endgame is one of the most anticipated films of the past decade — partially because audiences are, to a certain extent, inherently hyped, but also because Marvel Studios has been actively encouraging fans to work themselves into a fever pitch of excitement.
Tongue-in-cheek jokes about Marvel movies being quaint little indie films haven’t been funny for quite some time now, in large part because the movies are quite literally pieces of an industry titan that’s consolidating power at an impressive and rather alarming clip.
Like them or not, blockbusters of Endgame’s magnitude become cultural moments that capture the public’s attention and imagination, and sadly, pirating’s pretty much an inevitability.
That being said. If you’re interested in seeing Avengers: Endgame in its full glory the way the filmmakers intended, have some self-respect, don’t watch a piss-poor cam video, and drag your arse to the theatre like everyone else. Thanos demands it.