While movies are often leaked on popular movie piracy websites, few expected to wake up on April 13 to find the movie “Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender”  released to the public on the platform 4chan. A now-deleted tweet further spread the news, claiming that an employee within Nickelodeon “accidentally” emailed it. Shortly after, the movie was removed from the platform but not before many users had downloaded it.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” is a beloved television series that started to air on Nickelodeon in 2005. Right off the bat, the series received positive reviews, with all three seasons averaging 100% on the Tomatometer and 98% on the Popcornmeter on the website Rotten Tomatoes. The series takes place in a world where people have the ability to bend one of the four main elements: fire, earth, air and water. Only the Avatar has the ability to bend all of the elements, allowing them to maintain peace with both humanity and the spirit world. Aang, the main protagonist and Avatar of the series, is tasked with mastering all of the four elements to end the “Hundred Year War.” 

Initially, the plan was to release the film in theaters, however, the parent company, Paramount+, decided to keep it exclusive to their platform. Many fans, however, were angered by the announcement. Instead, they wanted it to be released in theaters and then streaming services as they didn’t want to give their money to “greedy” corporations. Additionally, this was the catalyst that prompted the leaker to release the movie.

“Paramount+ was originally going to publish the movie in theaters, but instead took it out of theaters to release it only on their platform so that they could benefit from it since more people would subscribe to watch the movie,” Ari Gupta ‘27 said. “Considering that, it’s not the end of the world that the movie has leaked since Paramount is a multi billion-dollar company that just went through a merger too, increasing their revenue anyway.”

Surrounding this controversy, voice actor Michela Jill Murphy, who voiced Toph Beifong in the original series, advocated that fans wait for the official release to watch. This is because, in doing so, it would be respectful towards all of the people who worked on the project and put all of their effort into it. While it may be frustrating that viewers will have to get a Paramount+ subscription, they should respect the work done by the crew. Additionally, the version that was released wasn’t the complete and final version, meaning that the one that is going to be released to the public will be significantly better than the pirate version.

“I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender as a kid and The Legend of Korra when I was a little older around when it came out, so I love hearing things about the Avatar universe,” Romi Gupta ‘28 said. “When I heard that the movie got leaked, I avoided it as much as possible because I wanted to respect the animators and the people behind the movie.”

Others disagree, stating that the billion-dollar companies aren’t losing that much money in the end, and how the production team themselves don’t typically receive the revenue earned at the box office.

“I think that the Avatar movie being leaked isn’t as big of a deal as some people are making it out to be,” Ari Gupta ‘27 said. “The animators of the movie have already been paid, and they don’t usually benefit from a movie’s box office success, so the money doesn’t really affect them.”

Social media users have continued to spread the film by editing and reposting the clips. Some people argue that by editing the leaked clips, the editors are disregarding the production team’s hard work. However, it ultimately acts as free advertisement due to the fact that neither company seemed to create trailers or push the film onto media platforms. 

“I keep seeing clips of the movie on my TikTok, mostly edits of Sokka and Zuko, and I thought that it looked really nice and that they stayed authentic to the true nature of Avatar,” Romi Gupta ‘28 said. “I’m not sure if the movie is getting a theatrical run, but I think that it looks very nice and will tie up some loose ends story-wise.”

Leaking movies not only affects the production companies but also the audience. Studios can lose revenue and control over how their work is first seen, especially when the unfinished version circulates online. This can shape negative first impressions before the official release for those who were experiencing the franchise for the first time. In addition, those responsible for the leaks can face legal consequences, which can include fines and prison time. 

According to Deadline, on April 24, a man who is suspected of leaking the movie was arrested for illegal service access in Singapore, and if found guilty, could face up to seven years in prison, a $50,000 fine or a combination of the two.