Streets are Watching: Bootlegging Still Strong in '09

With an economy that's been topsy-turvy for some time and folks losing jobs left and right, going to the movies is no longer a viable entertainment option. The costs are too high and people don't have the time to go the theater. To circumvent that, bootleggers continue to make it easy for people to lessen the cost of seeing films. In the black market, one can say that business is really booming.

While some bootleggers still resort to sneaking a camcorder into the theater, others are using the Web as a source.

It's no secret that with the release of an unfinished 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' on the Web a few weeks ago, fans and bootleg consumers couldn't wait to get their hands on a copy. The Hollywood community condemned the use of piracy and any promotion of it.

When Roger Friedman, who wrote a gossip column for Foxnews.com, did the unthinkable and reviewed the film, his superiors subsequently fired him after 10 years on the job.

According to Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blog, Roger Ailes, who oversees Fox News, deleted the offending post after he was contacted by 20th Century Fox, the major Hollywood movie studio that will release 'Wolverine' next month. Ailes then fired Friedman, stating, "He promoted piracy. He basically suggested that viewing a stolen film is okay, which is absolutely intolerable. So we fired him."

Black Filmmakers: Through The Years

Tyler Perry
No other African American filmmaker has made an impact in the film business this decade like Perry. Bringing his theatrical character Madea Simmons to the big screen has proven very successful at the box office. From 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' to 'Madea's Family Reunion' to 'Why Did I Get Married?,' which featured the return of Janet Jackson to the big screen, Perry's films have grossed close to $300 million in four years. And having Oprah Winfrey as one of his biggest champions hasn't hurt things either. Perry and that talk-show diva will join forces in bringing Lee Daniels' critically acclaimed movie, 'Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire,' to the masses later this year.

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Spike Lee
Besides Woody Allen, no other filmmaker has had more films on the big screen in the last 20 years than Lee. From 'She's Gotta Have It' to 'Jungle Fever' to the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated 'Do The Right Thing,' Lee's production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. In 2008, the Atlanta native released his latest film, 'Miracle at St. Anna,' a story about blacks fighting in WWII that stars Derek Luke and Michael Ealy.

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Oscar Micheaux
As the pioneer of African American filmmakers, this Metropolis, Illinois, native revolutionized the film industry when he formed his own movie production company and, in 1919, became the first African American to make a film. He wrote, directed and produced the silent motion picture 'The Homesteader' and then introduced the film world to Paul Robeson in 'Body and Soul.' In 1986, the Directors Guild of America honored Micheaux with a Golden Jubilee Special Award, and today the Oscar Micheaux Award is presented each year by the Producers Guild.

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Robert Townsend
Primarily known as a comedian, this Chicago native established himself when he wrote, directed, produced and starred in the comedy 'Hollywood Shuffle,' his 1987 film about struggling black actors. He also created and produced the CableACE award–winning 'Robert Townsend and His Partners in Crime' for HBO. His best film to date is the 1991 musical 'The Five Heartbeats.' Townsend recently directed the documentary 'Why We Laugh,' a story on black comedians and their impact in America.

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Bill Duke
Known for his imposing 6-foot-6-inch figure and action films such as 1987's 'Predator,' the Poughkeepsie, New York, native began directing feature-length films in the 1990s with the crime dramas 'A Rage in Harlem,' 'Deep Cover' and 'Hoodlum.' In 2007, Duke directed 'Cover,' which starred Vivica A. Fox, and most recently 'Not Easily Broken,' which is based on a T.D Jakes novel and stars Morris Chestnut and Taraji P. Henson.

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Ossie Davis
As a pioneer in the film business and a legend in the African American community, Davis was an actor, director, poet, playwright, writer and social activist whose career spanned nearly 50 years. Davis directed numerous films during the blaxploitation era, including 1970's 'Cotton Comes to Harlem' and 1973's 'Gordon's War.' Along with wife Ruby Dee, the Georgia native starred in many movies, including several of director Spike Lee's films such as 'Do The Right Thing,' 'Jungle Fever' and 'She Hate Me.'

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Melvin Van Peebles
This Chicago actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer is most famously known for his contribution to the blaxploitation era with the independently financed and critically acclaimed film 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.' The 1971 film was written, produced, scored, directed by and starred Van Peebles and tells the story of a deprived African American man on his escape from the white authority. The father of actor/ director Mario, in 2008, Melvin completed the film 'Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha,' which played at various film festivals.

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Julie Dash
In 1991, this Queens, New York, native's film 'Daughters of the Dust,' which tells the story of three generations of Gullah women at the turn of the 20th century, was the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman. In 2004, the film was included in the National Film Registry.

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F. Gary Gray
Having directed more than 30 music videos for artists such as Ice Cube, Queen Latifah, TLC, Dr. Dre and Mary J. Blige, and winning several awards for his work, the New York native moved into the film world with the cult favorite 'Friday,' starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. He then followed that film with another fan favorite, 'Set It Off,' with Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett Smith, before moving on to big budgeted films such as 'The Negotiator,' 'The Italian Job' and 'Be Cool.' His next feature is slated to be 'Marvin: The Life Story of Marvin Gaye.'

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Forest Whitaker
An Academy Award winner for his performance as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in the 2006 film 'The Last King of Scotland', the Longview, Texas, native has directed many films, including the fan favorite 1995's 'Waiting to Exhale,' based on the Terry McMillan novel of the same name. Other directorial films from Whitaker include 'Hope Floats' and 'First Daughter.'

Matt Sayles, AP

Way back, one would have to settle for a grainy bootleg copy with voices from the audience heard in the background. Nowadays, the quality is getting better, which increases the sales of bootlegs.

And so does the accessibility.

Whether you are in a barbershop, laundromat or on a subway, you are bound to run into someone with a portable DVD player ready to make you a customer. If the quality is good and the price is cheap, the seller goes home a happy camper.

On Easter Sunday, as I was leaving my church, I saw a bootlegger lay out some films by the street corner, ready to make a profit. Some folks couldn't get past him without asking what he had and how much he was selling them for.

Besides the films that are currently in theaters, including 'Fast & Furious' and 'Knowing,' one movie that stuck out in his pack and was selling like hotcakes was 'Winged Creatures,' a film that stars Oscar winners Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson that was shot in 2007. Produced by Peach Arch, the film has yet to have a theatrical release date.

Nevertheless, people were picking up copies.

Not only are studios competing with each other to make profits, they are also spending tons of money to ensure that their films have a strong opening weekend. By the second weekend, films generally lose close to 50 percent of their audience. Part of that stems from the new films that are released and the other part is due to bootleggers.

To some, a bootlegged movie beats shelling out more than $50 for a family of four when money is tight. The average price of a bootlegged film is about $5. With the exception of 'Madea Goes to Jail,' which has taken in $90 million at the box office, urban films are usually the genre hit hardest by the bootleg market.

There aren't that many urban films that gross over $50 million, and bootlegging directly impacts producers, directors, and actors who are trying to get a film off the ground or even get work. If the thinking is that these films won't be a financial reward, then why invest so much to produce them? If the budget is cheap, then maybe they can make a profit if released in limited markets.

Luckily, there are filmgoers who still love the excitement of standing in line to see a movie. Nothing beats watching a picture on the big screen.

Liam Neeson's latest film, 'Taken,' actually sold in the streets before 20th Century Fox released it domestically in January. At present, it has grossed over $140 million -- making it one of the breakout films of 2009 so far.

In 2007, about two weeks before its release date, a professional screener copy of Denzel Washington's 'American Gangster' popped up on the Web. The film went on to gross $130 million and over $250 million worldwide. That just goes to show that no matter how tough the economy, or how easily films can be illegally purchased on the street, there are people looking for a genuine movie-going experience.

Others should take heed: Bootlegging, also considered copyright infringement and piracy, is illegal and punishable by law.