A copy of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has reportedly been by ransom hackers.
According to Deadline, hackers have stolen a copy of the film and are threatening to release it online unless Disney meet their demands. They are reported to be looking for an enormous amount of money in Bitcoin but Disney have thus far refused to pay and are currently working with the FBI to deal with the situation.
News broke yesterday that hackers had stolen a major Disney release for this year and CEO Bob Iger admitted as much when quizzed about it in New York yesterday. However at the time he wouldn't reveal which title the hackers had stolen.
Movie piracy is hardly a new phenomenon but the concept of movie pirates demanding ransom from studios in order for the return of their projects certainly is. Netlix faced a similar situation earlier this month when they refused to pay a ransom for Orange is the New Black Season 5. Ten episodes of the season were subsequently released online.
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has grossed $3.7 billion for Disney to date. Just how big an impact releasing the film online will have on the new movie's box office remains to be seen.
Via Deadline