This is topic Stolen Phantom Menace in forum Film Handlers' Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.
To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000063
Posted by Stephen Winner (Member # 8) on 05-30-1999, 04:09 AM:
I caught a news story on the local NBC station that the film was stolen
right off the projector. I didn't catch the name of the theater, but the
picture of the outside, I think the marquee said "STATE", looked like an
older house, but they were running a platter system. Did anybody hear of this? The reporter said that it was definitely the work
of two people since the entire reel weighted in at over 60 lbs. I would
have thought somebody would have noticed two people carrying out a
platter full of film out of the theatre!!!!!
Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 05-30-1999, 04:09 AM:
I read this myself. It was stolen off of the platter between Friday night but
before Saturday morning showtime. I think that somebody would have
noticed it as well. I think that one person could carry a print, though. I
once moved Pulp Fiction by myself without clamps and it was fine. The print was stolen from Menomonie Wisconson and the theatre is
simply called the "State Theatre". The theatre owner is Nick LeGros and
his response was akin to "Gee, this has never happened to me before!"
The print is valued at about $60,000
Posted by Brad Miller on 05-30-1999, 04:10 AM:
Print is valued at $60,000??? Must be one of those fabulous overpriced Kodak Vision Premiere prints.
haha
$60,000...let's be realistic now. It is bad enough that studios charge
$3000 a print for replacement purposes when they cost about $1200.
For Lucas to charge $60,000 is absurd.
Posted by Ross Burton (Member # 6) on 05-30-1999, 04:10 AM:
I read the thieves were cuaght. Two young men in their 20's. Part of the
print was found in a field near the theater while the rest was in a jumbled
mess in garbage bags.
Posted by Brad Miller on 05-30-1999, 04:11 AM:
Good! From the sounds of it, they were of the bootlegging variety and
NOT film collectors. All the film collectors I know of are honest and patient enough for the
studios to finish with their use of the film and junk them. I highly doubt real
collectors would've stolen a one week old print of one of the biggest
movies this decade. How stupid would THAT be?
Posted by Ross Burton (Member # 6) on 05-30-1999, 04:11 AM:
There are several idiots already peddling bootlegged copies of Episode
One on CD-Rom and VHS on E-bay. Location of sellers is Malaysia,
Hong Kong etc.
Posted by Christopher Seo (Member # 7) on 05-30-1999, 04:12 AM:
From the description of it, it doesn't sound as if they were planning to do
anything with the print... half in a field near the theater? Half in a tangled
mess in garbage bags? Not a very good place to hide stolen merchandise! It also escapes me how these people were going to bootleg this print.
Once they had stolen it they would either need their own projector/video
camera or a telecine, because obviously they couldn't just bring it to a lab.
Or were they just planning to put a hundred thousand "RARE
PHANTOM MENACE FILM CELS!!!!!" on ebay?
Posted by Brad Miller on 05-30-1999, 04:12 AM:
A friend emailed me this from the AP wire... Three unidentified men were arrested Wednesday on charges of stealing a
copy of Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace from a theater in
Menomonie, WI over the weekend. The men, all in their twenties,
reportedly turned themselves in voluntarily. Police did not indicate why
they had elected to do so. They also said that it was unlikely that the film
had been copied. A five-foot piece of the film, barely more than two
seconds long, was reportedly found in a field near the Menomonie theater
on Tuesday. The film itself, stashed in three garbage bags, was recovered
on Wednesday.
Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 06-17-1999, 05:07 PM:
I've since heard of 3 more prints that have been stolen. One was about 2 weeks ago at the AMC Grand (guess with a theater that big, the projectionist can't get by each projector often enough to verify the film is still there) and the other two were about a week ago, I don't know the theaters. Both of the latter two had prints of Austin Powers 2 stolen at the same time.Anyone hear more?
Posted by Paul Konen (Member # 41) on 06-18-1999, 10:40 AM:
I hear that the Grand has had a lot of prints stolen.
Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-18-1999, 11:37 AM:
Hmm...maybe this is a good reason to work for AMC, after all! (just joking)
I guess that one of the less-talked-about advantages of platters over reels is that it's easier to walk out of a theatre with a couple of 6000' reels than with the contents of a platter.
Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 06-16-2002, 12:48 PM:
I don't think anyone stole Episode 2 -- look how its box office has trailed Episode 1.
Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 06-16-2002, 01:06 PM:
Converting a blurry video-print into soundtrack filler stock would be putting it to a higher purpose.
Posted by Adam Fraser (Member # 1074) on 06-16-2002, 01:14 PM:
It was on the news a few nights ago that someone actually has stolen a print of EP2 from Canada and tried to bring it over the international bridge to Michigan to sell it. Quote from the news "it could have turned to millions in losses" or something like that. 
------------------
Adam Fraser
www.pinestheatre.com
Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 06-17-2002, 02:26 AM:
If George Lucas is scared about that, he should be even more scared at what will happen if he gets his way and the cinema industry goes digital. It's far easier to nick a few DVDs or a hard disc pack than it is to nick a 35mm print, and the same goes for transporting the stolen goods.
Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 06-17-2002, 02:56 AM:
Two Suspected in 'Star Wars' Piracy
Thu Jun 13,10:37 AM ET By The Associated Press
Two Canadian men face a June 18 preliminary examination on accusations that they tried to sell a stolen copy of "Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones" on eBay.
The men were arraigned Tuesday in Detroit's 36th District Court on charges of receiving and concealing stolen property. They each were ordered held in place of $30,000 bond.
Amer Khawaj, 21, and Inderpreet Grewal, 20, both of Etobicoke, Ontario, are accused of stealing two canisters containing reels of the film from a Woodbridge, Ontario, movie theater several weeks ago.
Authorities say the men tried to sell the reels on the eBay Internet auction site. They were asking for $3,000, said Detroit police Inspector Gerald Cliff.
Police received a tip that the men were trying to sell the movie and set up a meeting Saturday at a Detroit restaurant parking lot. Officers posing as buyers offered $2,500 and the sellers accepted, Cliff said. The men then were arrested.
Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 06-17-2002, 05:13 AM:
That IS a crime -- charging $2500 for a lousy movie! 
Posted by Neil Hunter (Member # 1005) on 06-17-2002, 07:02 AM:
Just before Episode II opened, my theater manager told me to be extra careful with our three prints of that movie, because they could be stolen. I thought he was joking. Boy do I feel silly now.