Still no Borat
Movie: Borat
Still no pirated copies of Borat around Suzhou. I have checked out all the usual places. Japanese street with its 5RMB copies. The two shops near the Sheraton. Only place I will not go is Rock Station coz that poser who runs it is a creep. Lets see. According to predictions by AnotherLaoWai.blog, we should take certain factors into account when accertaining when a pirated copy of a new movie will flood the market in Suzhou (mainland China for that matter)
1. Is the movie an academy award nominee. While Borat certainly isn't, the Academy Awards receives advanced copies of movies called "screeners" which some how make it to the hands of the DVD pirates. Arg matee!
2. Does the movie have world wide release? If so, DVD pirates may have bought out an entire showing in some obscure eastern European city and set up a camera on a tripod. The quality of these copies may not be fantastic, but atleast you don't get a row of heads at the bottom of the screen.
3. Will there be promotional screenings at film festivals before the movie is release to a larger audience? You can certainly expect a copy showing up quick. Culprites orpartners in crime include desperate film festivals that sell out their screenings to mainland media companies such as Wangs World of Bootlegs.
4. Is there an expected demand for your movie. I blame the Hollywood promotional machine for this because while being in China does not mean I am immune to the onslaught. As summer, Thanksgiving, Ground Hogs day or any other season when major titles are expected to be released, the advertisments heat up on both sides of the Pacific. Take for example Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Mans Chest. It took no longer than 3 days from release date to arrival in Suzhou DVD shops. While the quality of these movies may be horrendous, they improve quickly, usually on a weekly basis.
Borat. Where the hek are you? We are waiting for your arrival in Suzhou.
Hek
