Pirated Brazilian film beats big-screen version

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A new Brazilian film, ‘Tropa de Elite’ (Elite Troop), about Rio police fighting drug traffickers, was to have its first public showing Thursday in Rio de Janeiro.

However, thousands had already seen the film, which was being widely distributed through pirated copies. It appears to be the first time a Brazilian film was a hit on the black market before opening in theaters.

‘I am finally going to see people watching the movie as it was supposed to be shown,’ director Jose Padilha told the newspaper Folha.

Posted by Marcelo Soares in Sao Paulo and Patrick J. McDonnell in Buenos Aires