Amazon Faces Backlash After Leaking Jason Statham’s New Movie

Action fans heading to theaters on Aug. 21 expected to see Jason Statham’s latest release, Mutiny. A slip-up by Amazon Prime Video allowed some viewers to watch the entire movie early from home.

According to a report from Deadline, Amazon accidentally uploaded the complete film to its streaming catalog. Curious users noticed the title and watched it before Amazon removed the listing. The brief availability gave internet pirates enough time to rip the file and circulate it across torrent sites, creating a headache for distributor Lionsgate.

In Mutiny, Statham plays Cole Reed, a former soldier and police officer working as a personal bodyguard for a multimillionaire. When Reed is framed for a serious crime, he pursues the real culprits aboard a cargo ship to clear his name and get revenge. The film carried a $40 million production budget, matching the cost of Statham’s earlier release, The Beekeeper.

The release faced an uphill battle after drawing low ratings from critics, and the accidental leak adds further complications. On a Reddit thread about the incident, user 007meow noted, “They can now blame any box office underperformance on Amazon.” User Bhu124 agreed with the sentiment, replying, “That’s absolutely what they’re going to do. No one is more happy this happened than Lionsgate. They’re gonna get a f*ckton of money out of Amazon for this.”

Whether the leak will severely hurt ticket sales remains uncertain, though Amazon will likely bear the blame if numbers disappoint. Deadline estimates that Mutiny will bring in between $7 million and $9 million during its opening weekend.

Source: Polygon