Sultanzz
May 24, 2005, 11:11 AM
Pirated Star Wars hits Pakistan
The pirated edition of the latest Star Wars episode has finally appeared in Pakistan, five days after it was released in cinemas worldwide.
Karachi retailers sold hundreds of copies in under an hour late Monday as many people had already pre-booked the copies.
"Pakistan-wide sales are expected to be around 50,000 copies within the first two weeks," one leading retailer said.
The appearance of Revenge of the Sith - the sixth and final edition of George Lucas' epic galactic adventure - in the city's pirate market "was well behind schedule", retailers told the BBC.
Most new Hollywood movies are pirated within 48 hours of their release.
The delay has occurred because of a recent crackdown on replication facilities in the city. Three of Karachi's estimated 11 replication facilities were raided by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) earlier in the month.
Shopkeepers say they are wary of offering it to new customers as they may well be FIA agents in disguise.
Pakistan has risen over the last 25 years to become a global hub of audio and video piracy. According to the IFPI, Pakistani replication facilities are producing in excess of 230 million copies a year. :P
Given that the country's local consumption is only about 25 million discs, the IFPI concludes that the rest are being exported across the world.
"Western diplomats buy these pirated DVDs. Many of them have become my personal friends in the process," says Ameed. :P
These earlier episodes have all been put into one DVD (costing $2), and shopkeepers say a large number of customers are buying the five-in-one DVD along with the latest release.
Throughout Pakistan, the latest movie is available on DVD for just over $1. The price drops to below $1 if the purchase order exceeds 10.
Edited on, May 24, 2005, 4:13 PM GMT, by Sultanzz.
The pirated edition of the latest Star Wars episode has finally appeared in Pakistan, five days after it was released in cinemas worldwide.
Karachi retailers sold hundreds of copies in under an hour late Monday as many people had already pre-booked the copies.
"Pakistan-wide sales are expected to be around 50,000 copies within the first two weeks," one leading retailer said.
The appearance of Revenge of the Sith - the sixth and final edition of George Lucas' epic galactic adventure - in the city's pirate market "was well behind schedule", retailers told the BBC.
Most new Hollywood movies are pirated within 48 hours of their release.
The delay has occurred because of a recent crackdown on replication facilities in the city. Three of Karachi's estimated 11 replication facilities were raided by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) earlier in the month.
Shopkeepers say they are wary of offering it to new customers as they may well be FIA agents in disguise.
Pakistan has risen over the last 25 years to become a global hub of audio and video piracy. According to the IFPI, Pakistani replication facilities are producing in excess of 230 million copies a year. :P
Given that the country's local consumption is only about 25 million discs, the IFPI concludes that the rest are being exported across the world.
"Western diplomats buy these pirated DVDs. Many of them have become my personal friends in the process," says Ameed. :P
These earlier episodes have all been put into one DVD (costing $2), and shopkeepers say a large number of customers are buying the five-in-one DVD along with the latest release.
Throughout Pakistan, the latest movie is available on DVD for just over $1. The price drops to below $1 if the purchase order exceeds 10.
Edited on, May 24, 2005, 4:13 PM GMT, by Sultanzz.