Why people buy pirated DVDs

I’d like to share a letter e-mailed to me over the weekend which somewhat illustrates that, in our country where pirated DVDs abound and where few have moral or legal qualms about buying them, sometimes theatre owners are hardly helping the cause of the movie industry against piracy.

Dear Sir:

I chose to send you an e-mail because I remember some time ago you wrote something about the film industry. I am an avid moviegoer myself but going to the movies nowadays with my family of four could easily cost me a thousand pesos including popcorn and drinks (maybe more in some theaters), so now I only go when my kids really want to see a movie. A lot of times, unabashedly, I settle for pirated DVDs which could be had everywhere. It’s just economics.

When people in the movie business complain about their revenues being hit by piracy, sometimes they forget that they are part of the problem. They have to step it up and make the movie-going experience “worth it” for people.

Last Saturday, upon the insistence of my kids who are fans of the book, I took my family to see the film version of Diary of A Wimpy Kid in Robinson’s Ermita for the 3:15 p.m. screening. We were all excited to go and happy to pay the P640 for our tickets (P160 each x 4 of us, the same rate for regular theaters in Mall of Asia).

The moment we took our seats I noticed it was hot inside the theater. We were perspiring by the time the trailers were running, even before the movie started. Did the mall decide to turn the air conditioners down anticipating there wouldn’t be a lot of people during the Holy Week?

The movie started and we had a hard time hearing the audio, which is surprising since it was supposed to be a Dolby Digital theater. There were speakers all around the theater but we could only hear the audio coming from the front, and barely. Again, were they saving money on electricity by not turning on all the speakers?

Midway through the movie, the film markedly changed color, from its bright colors to a subdued sepia tone. But this is not the worst of it. After a few minutes more, the screen was cut in half and the sound was muted to nothing.

Everybody in the theater was complaining by loudly clapping, whistling, shouting but the projectionist was not doing anything about the problem. It wasn’t until I stepped out of the theater to complain to the security guard (nobody was outside but her—there was no usher or manager to complain to) and she radioed for help that the movie was restored to its less dismal state.

We came out of the movie feeling irate and shortchanged. You pay good, hard-earned money to watch a movie and you expect it to be well worth it. Otherwise, why not just save, stay home, and yes, just watch a pirated DVD.

My experience is not an isolated case, I am sure of it. There have been other times, when we watched a movie and felt shortchanged by the quality of the experience. There was even one time, when we watched the last screening of a movie in SM Manila, and when we came out of the theater we found most of the lights were turned off in the mall. We had to feel our way in the dark leading to the parking lot building connected to the mall.

I asked the security why they turned of the lights when people are just coming out of the last screening and he didn’t even bother to answer me. He didn’t turn the lights back on, or even volunteered to guide us with his flashlight.

I hope that this letter sees print, sir. I am not trying to justify buying pirated DVDs. I like it in the old days when going to the movies was “the” experience, something to look forward to during the weekends. My parents used to take me downtown in Rizal Avenue to watch movies, and it was certainly the highlight of my week. But sometimes you can’t blame people for just buying pirated DVDs and staying home to watch them, especially when you treat moviegoers so shabbily.

Sincerely,

Ruben Cruz
Malate, Manila
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Mr. Cruz just cited one good reason why Filipino audiences have been marching away from cinemas in droves. Aside from the comforts of TV with its free channels and cable channels flickering in their living rooms and the economic convenience provided by pirated movies, at times it is also the theater owners fault.

Cinema is still a powerful medium with its ability to inspire, entertain, challenge and inform audiences. Movies shape the way we see and understand the world, and it shapes the way the world and others see and understand us.

But first and foremost, you have to make the movie worth watching.

ernestboyherrera@yahoo.com –ERNESTO F. HERRERA, Manila Times