Advertisement

Warner Bros. ends advance screenings in Canada, blames piracy


It looks like Canada's reputation as a hotbed of piracy is starting to result in some real repercussions, with Warner Bros. announcing today that it's putting an end to all advance movie screenings in the country. According to the studio, that rather drastic measure is being done in response to what it claims to be a lack of legislation in Canada to stop the camcordering of movies in theaters, which it says has resulted in the country becoming the "main source for most of the world's film piracy." While the ban doesn't extend to press screenings, they will apparently now be relegated to private screening rooms instead of theaters. For everyone else, the ban goes into effect immediately, affecting movies from both Warner Independent Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, including the upcoming Ocean's Thirteen and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which'll surely not be pirated now.