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YouTube pirates are cashing in on Hollywood’s summer blockbusters

by New York Times — 6 July 2025

Movies from every major film studio were found on YouTube in unofficial streams uploaded from last July to May, Analytics found.

After spending about $100 million on “Lilo & Stitch,” a live-action remake of a 2002 animated film, Disney had plenty to celebrate. The film pulled in $361 million worldwide on its opening weekend in May and bested “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” at the box office.

But the company also had cause to be concerned. In the days after the Disney film’s opening, a pirated version of “Lilo & Stitch” proved to be a hit on YouTube, where more than 200,000 people viewed it, potentially costing Disney millions of dollars in additional sales, according to research from Adalytics, a firm that analyzes advertising campaigns for brands.

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