Marquee Hindi films such as Sikandar, Jaat, Raid 2 and The Bhootnii were leaked online, kneecapping their run at the box office at birth.

These films were released on pirated and illegal web sites and applications on Thursday, a day before their formal release, bucking a pirating practice of releasing new films a day after their run at cinemas.

"There is a growing trend of movies, especially Hindi and Tamil films, being leaked on the day before the release. In such cases, the role of an insider is suspected," said a senior Maharashtra police officer. "Piracy before the day of release of a film implies that it is an insider job. There are three channels through which a film can get leaked. They are post-production studios, content delivery agencies and nefarious elements in exhibition companies," said Girish Wankhede, a movie trade analyst.

A recent EY study with the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) showed that 51% of media consumers access content from pirated sources. There are four key sources of piracy: illegal streaming platforms, mobile applications, spreading of pirated links on social media, and torrents.

The report noted that instant messaging platform Telegram is a widely preferred platform for consumers of pirated content and pirates alike as it allows transfer of files up to 2 GB. According to the report, in 2023, theatres and the streaming industry lost Rs 13700 crore and Rs 8700 crore respectively due to piracy.

Producers said the new trend of piracy before release is largely connected with how strong the buzz or interest that a film has generated before its release.

“A pre-release leak is not just piracy—it is economic sabotage. It destroys a film’s theatrical potential, jeopardises digital (streaming) and satellite deals, and kills audience curiosity before the first show,” said Suniel Wadhwa, co-founder & director, Karmic Films. "The buzz or interest around a film is a key factor whether a film's print gets leaked before or after its release, " Wadhwa added.

Industry veterans said it was critical to follow a multi-layered approach which covers legality, technology and systemic aspects associated with piracy. They suggest that the increasing use of AI and collaboration with technology companies such as BLOCK X Technologies, which spot sites and other sources of pirated content, must be the norm in the industry to reduce piracy in the industry.

"To avoid piracy, with help of right stakeholders, we are working on a technology which will break a movie into three parts and these three parts can only be joined with a password, " said Wankhede.

One of the repercussions of rampant piracy is it impacts the earnings' prospects of mid-and-small budget films more than big-budget ones because even after piracy, streamers buy big-budget films.