"Avatar," the 3D film directed by James Cameron, is likely to become the second highest-grossing movie in history behind "Titanic," having taken more than $1 billion worldwide in only three weeks.
However, to the chagrin of Mr. Cameron, the story of a disabled American soldier infiltrating a colony of blue aliens has proved as popular as an illegal download as with paying customers. He had predicted that the film’s 3D technology would deter online theft, but almost one million pirate copies were downloaded within seven days of its release -- a record -- according to figures seen by The Times.
By comparison, "New Moon," the second most popular first-week download ever -- part of the popular "Twilight" series -- was illegally accessed 610,000 times.
Read more from the London Times.
