Foolish Bootleg DVD Myths that Consumers Follow

Nicole A.
As movie piracy continues to be a major problem within the motion picture industry, audiences who purchase bootleg DVDs seem to have little doubts about getting a bargain with these transactions. What seems to be a good deal on the surface from their perspective has created an inflated belief system that supports false qualities of the illegal goods that they buy on such a frequent basis. Here are some of the top myths about bootleg DVDs that consumers follow, which hurts the economy and boosts criminal activity.

Bootleg DVDs Offer Convenience

While some men and women offer pirated movies for sale on the street in a central location, many other vendors take their operations mobile by approaching customers nearly anywhere at anytime. The wide availability of bootleg DVDs featuring new releases can be a convenient way for consumers to watch a movie without worrying about parking, child care work schedules and other time consuming nuisances that come with visiting theaters.

What appears to be a convenience and another excuse for buying pirated movies is unwarranted after DVD rental kiosks were introduced into the market. If convenience is a main factor in their DVD purchasing decisions, movie fans have over 30,000 locations of rental kiosks nationwide to choose from between Blockbuster Express and Redbox combined. These kiosks are located in shopping destinations that consumers frequent such as grocery stores and pharmacy establishments, making them very accessible to the average movie lover.

Bootleg DVDs Help Movie Lovers Save Money

In many metropolitan areas, pirated movies can cost between $5 to $7 per disk...a price that, for many consumers, beats paying $15 to $22 for a ticket to an IMAX or 3D show at theaters. There are, however, alternative options that not only help movie going audiences save money but also gives them access to advance screenings. Movie clubs and screening series such as gofobo, txtmovieclub, and ReelBlack provide opportunities for consumers to watch new releases free of charge before they are in theaters.

Consumers who are willing to be patient and wait for the DVD release also have the ability to save money by renting titles from DVD kiosks instead of buying pirated movies. For the same $5 that they spend on one bootleg DVD, consumers can rent five titles from a movie rental kiosk. Such a purchase gives the consumer more value for there money, where entertainment is concerned. This is especially beneficial in circumstances where he or she did not enjoy a particular movie rental. The $1 loss is much less than that of a bootleg DVD purchase.

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Published by Nicole A. - Featured Contributor in Arts & Entertainment

She has written and produced several short movies. She currently works as a freelance editor while continuing to make independent films.  View profile

3 Comments

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  • Patricia Sicilia10/12/2011

    Yeah, everything you said and plus it's just plain theft!

  • David Carr9/14/2011

    Great Article. I personally do not own any bootlegs. As an editor I am appalled that the hard work that goes into making movies can be trivialized by illegal, poor quality copies that are so rampant when rentals are cheaper with better quality. I think the biggest pull is the almost same day availability. If the bootlegs took longer to get to the public they may stop buying them.

  • Malina Debrie9/14/2011

    It's crazy to purchase bootleg. The quality is normally horrible.

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