While many films have been box office hits of 2022, some of these films have also become some of the most pirated. According to exclusive data compiled by the Variety Intelligence Platform, Marvel and DC films were among the most pirated films of the year, with 70% of the top 10 pirated films of the year being superhero films. The piracy in question consists of illegal streams and downloads. Spiderman: No Way Home ranked first, accounting for 21% of film piracy in 2022, while Batman, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Adam, Uncharted, Eternals, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World DominionAnd Encanto the next one is not too far behind.

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According to Muso, the availability of movies on streaming after their initial theatrical release is a huge factor when it comes to piracy. This is because the faster a movie is available to stream, the easier it is to create high-quality versions of that movie on pirate sites, as opposed to camera-shot versions that were illegally filmed in a movie theater. According to a Muso analyst, off-camera versions of a film “can often create an underwhelming viewing experience and may entice frustrated consumers to go to the theater for a better experience.”

However, movies appearing on streaming services as soon as they hit theaters are not the only reason for the high number of reports of piracy in 2022. Avatar: Path of Water hit theaters at the end of December and still managed to become the third most pirated film of the fourth quarter, showing that a film’s popularity alone can increase piracy in modern times. Shrinking theater windows in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is also a huge factor as films like Batman And Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness hitting streaming services in just 45-50 days in theaters. Batman accounted for 13 percent of film piracy last year, while Doctor Strange in the multiverse of madness also hit hard with 10 percent.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)

Despite Spiderman: No Way Home was the most pirated film of the year, it didn’t get as heavily pirated until it had been in theaters for 90 days and three days before the VOD release. This shows that the longer a film stays in theaters, the less likely it is to be pirated. Spiderman: No Way Home is a co-production between Disney’s Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, and since Sony joined the film, the film was not submitted to Disney’s 45-day theatrical window, which would have allowed the film to hit Disney+. However, the film was available to stream on Starz, which has a much smaller audience than a service like Disney+.

Overall, it seems that as beneficial as it is to have movies appear on streaming services shortly after they’re released in theaters, it’s leading to a detrimental rise in piracy.