This month, UK movie theatre staff will take a cue from Mr. Bond himself and add some super high-tech equipment to their uniforms during early screenings of Spectre.
According to the Daily Telegraph, theatre workers will be using night vision goggles to prevent movie-goers from pirating the film, and reduce the prevalence of illegal distribution of the movie.
Theatres all across the UK will be taking this special measure, because apparently, the risk of pirating increases with hotly anticipated movies like the latest in the James Bond series. And it is especially befitting for a movie that so heavily relies on the use of high-tech gadgets.
A lot of cinemas around the world are feeling pressure to stay on top of the competition that comes from streaming services relying on pirating movies, no matter how poor the quality might be. Part of that is determining what movies are the biggest targets.
As the Director General of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, Kieron Sharp, told the Daily Mail, Spectre is a big risk for piracy, and they are doing everything they can to keep it under wraps and avoid illegal recording.
The Fast and the Furious series is also a big target, and a lot of the people who set out to record these movies have an additional goal to be the first person to upload it. Now that staff will be outfitted with night vision goggles for their patrols of theatres, not even a dark cinema can hide a would-be recorder.
UK Theatres Have a New Plan to Stop Piracy